Song and a Ship
by SWA Windsong
Summary: This is a collection of short stories. I was finding that I can do these as practice for real scenes, but making entire stories would literally take a lifetime. So if you like the characters from one of these, feel free to use it. I'm just going to play around with how I portray characters here and I'll leave notes if you want to continue the story.
1. I Want You To Know UkUs

Song and a Ship request: UkUs to the song I Want You To Know by Zedd featuring Selena Gomez

I would suggest reading the wikipedia page to this song as well as watching the music video AND paying attention to the lyrics as I pulled details from everywhere.

Also, if you don't like seeing France in a bad light, I would suggest not reading this. He was just a tool I used to create conflict this time. I tried to avoid making it directly known it's him, but that's who I'm imagining honestly. Sorry for giving it away, but I wanted people to know.

I have the smut portion separated. I will post on Tumblr where they don't care because apparently they don't like it on this site? (when that happened, I have no clue because I read smutty crap on here all the time)

I'm basing suave Arthur off of people like Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. Also, Alfred is a virgin. Because really. With the abysmal education in the US, he was probably taught abstinence.

* * *

The music blared into Arthur's ear, making his head pound as he tried to make his way past the throng of people, but the crowd was unyielding as they enjoyed themselves and danced to the music, completely oblivious to their surroundings and the fact that Arthur was trying to push through.

He should have known better than to confront the man with the blonde ponytail who had grabbed his ass not five minutes ago. Having not been in a relationship for a while and it had been an immediate reaction to turn around and tell the bloody git off. It hadn't occurred to Arthur that the guy might then try to continue his advances resulting in a battle of wits which ended when Arthur said that he was there with someone much more interesting than ponytail head to which the man had pointed out that Arthur was now in fact standing alone.

Alfred had run off.

Arthur knew immediately what had happened. When the man with the ponytail had started boldly flirting with Arthur, he'd completely dropped his attention on Alfred giving him time to slip away. What he didn't know was what had upset him and caused him to run out.

He pushed past a group of people, rolling his eyes as one of them started grinding up against him. Suddenly, he felt a large pair of powerful hands on his shoulders. They guided him through the crowd and brought him to a quieter part of the dance floor, closer to the exit.

"What happened?" It was Ivan, the guy who had originally set Arthur up on a date with Alfred a month or so ago.

"I don't know, he ran off! This pervert grabbed my ass and distracted me. Something I said to him must have upset Alfred, but I wasn't paying attention. Did you see which way he went?"

"Yeah, he ran out the door." Ivan pointed to the exit that was closest to them.

"Thank you! I'll fix this." Arthur really didn't want to upset Alfred. The poor boy acted all tough, but he had this inferiority complex and Arthur knew that it sometimes got the better of him. Like the time Ludwig picked on Alfred for being a messy eater. Alfred acted like it didn't matter towards Ludwig, but when they had gotten home, he'd poured a tidal wave of insecurities onto Arthur which he attempted and make better. In all honesty, Arthur didn't mind the boy's manners at all. He was polite and said "yes sir" and "yes ma'am" to strangers as he waved and smiled at them. Arthur always greeted people politely, but the way Alfred did it always seemed to brighten people's day. So what if he sometimes got a little ketchup on his chin. He ate so much and so quickly anyway, but that was because he worked out so much and was just always hungry.

Alfred just couldn't see that he was perfect the way he was. He sometimes saw the joy he brought to others, but often took it for granted. And Arthur had been there to point it out later when he needed it. Actually, Arthur didn't understand why Alfred didn't think as much of himself as he boasted to the outside world sometimes. Maybe he wasn't as quick witted as some people, but there was a charm about Alfred that Arthur loved more than anything. It was so genuine. So pure. Arthur doubted he'd meet someone who wanted to please others as much as Alfred did.

Without Alfred, Arthur wouldn't have ever thought about going to a gay dance club. But, it had been fun showing off his dancing skill. What sort of gentleman didn't know how to dance anyway? Alfred had a more enthusiastic approach. In the end, Arthur's skill combined with Alfred's emotion had brought a new life to dancing which Arthur found highly engaging and pleasantly entertaining. Even if they were at a tacky loud club with bright lights.

Arthur finally managed to break free of the club and stepped outside into the cool night air. He looked around frantically in search of his blonde boyfriend.

He saw Alfred's signature stray blonde hair above some pedestrians on the sidewalk. How he managed to make that thing stick up like it did every day and yet still make it look attractive, Arthur would never know. He ran towards the blonde hair as fast as allowable in the still crowded street. The single lock of hair bounced slowly up and down.

"Alfred!" Arthur shouted, trying to get the man's attention.

The crowd broke enough and Arthur caught a glimpse of Alfred's face as he turned towards him. The dejected look gripped at Arthur's heart. He kept jogging until he had caught up with Alfred.

Arthur came to a stop a meter or so from Alfred, his lungs burning from the cool air and the slight unexpected exertion. He took a moment to catch his breath. The pained look in Alfred's eyes was breaking his heart. What on earth had happened to upset him this much? Arthur swallowed as he prepared himself for the story.

"What's wrong, Alfred?" Arthur asked as gently as he could, given the fact that he was breathing slightly harder than normal. Alfred looked Arthur full in the face, pain and agony washing over Arthur as Alfred inhaled sharply so he could talk.

"It's just, you were smiling when you were telling that man off. Almost like you liked it." Alfred looked at his feet as he said the words, embarrassment covering his face now as a small blush touched his cheeks.

"Alfred, no! I mean, sure it's nice to have attention, even if the stranger is out of line. But why would I prefer that guy over you?" At that, Alfred's blush deepened. Arthur held his breath waiting for a response.

"Because…because I don't always know what I'm doing. I've never…." He didn't have to finish. Arthur knew where this was going.

"Alfred, it doesn't matter to me that you're inexperienced. I don't like you for those reasons. I like you because you're fun to be around and you make people around you happy wherever you go! Sure, you're silly sometimes, but we all need more of that in our lives. I'd much rather wait until you're ready than try and force things. I want to be with _you_! I can wait for the rest."

They'd had this conversation before. Arthur was dying to get the idea through Alfred's head that it was perfectly fine that he'd never done anything intimate with anyone before. But when Alfred found out how many people Arthur had been with, it had slowly started to eat away at his self-confidence. However, Arthur didn't quite understand why Alfred didn't believe he was willing to wait for him.

It took Alfred a few moments before he spoke again. The pain had still not left his eyes even after Arthur's words though. "It's just, I've been left before for this you know."

That was not something Arthur had heard before. "What do you mean?"

"I dated one other person before you. I know I never told you. I don't like to talk about it…."

"Alfred, it's OK. Whatever happened, I'm not them!"

"But what if you get tired of waiting too? What if I lose you because I can't come to grips with the last relationship?"

It wasn't totally making sense to Arthur. The new information was clearly the key to getting Alfred to stop fretting, but tonight was not the time to confront these fears directly. Arthur knew Alfred could suck it up for a little while. Maybe Arthur would get a small chance to prove that he wanted to be there too.

"Hey, don't worry about that for now. Look, if it makes you feel any better, I was a virgin once too. I do know how scary the first time can be." Finally Alfred looked Arthur in the eyes. The deep blue sparkled in the faint flashing lights of nearby clubs as he dared to hope that maybe Arthur was telling the truth.

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do. I'd rather it be pleasant for you anyway. I will wait as long as it takes." At that moment, Arthur felt a raindrop fall onto his nose. "Now come on. We've got to show that blonde ass-grabber what we're made of." It was easy to lead Alfred to a challenge where he'd gladly follow.

"Oh alright. Can I try a lift though?" The light of excitement returned to Alfred's eyes at the thought of showing off. The skies rumbled in the distance.

"Umm, how about we practice that somewhere not in public first."

Arthur led Alfred back onto the dancefloor, guiding him with a steady hand. Once they were back inside, Arthur turned to face Alfred who's gigantic, crowd pleasing grin was back in place. Let's show them what we've got this time.

It started off slow, with both of Alfred's hands in Arthur's own. At first, Arthur spent the time guiding Alfred through the motions, leading him through the steps of the dance. It didn't take Alfred long to figure out the steps, which amazed Arthur. It had taken him a full week to learn the basics of the Lindy Hop. But dancing probably came more naturally to those who were more in tune with their emotional side. Especially if they were bright and cheerful like Alfred normally was.

They began rotating a little more quickly, Arthur letting go of one of Alfred's hands and swinging him in wild circles. Alfred had a look of utmost joy as they picked up the tempo, beginning to match the beat of the song. Once Alfred had gotten the hang of the basic step, Arthur began to kick his legs, making Alfred's face light up even brighter, if it were possible, as he tried to imitate Arthur. A giddy feeling started to form in sync with Arthur's heartbeat. He spun Alfred around with a flourish, causing the man to start laughing which sent Arthur's heart into a flurry. He lived for that laugh.

Arthur loved the Lindy Hop. It was an excellent way to dance with someone in public. He was used to seeing the awful grinding that the kids did nowadays. Could you really call that dancing? This was a much more mindful task, making the leader aware of their partner so they created intricate patterns over a wide area of the floor. There were some things the Americans actually did get right. Like Alfred.

A quick glance over into the crowd and Arthur saw the man that had grabbed his ass, slack jaw and staring at the two of them. That's right, eat your words, ponytail. My date is better than you'll ever be.

* * *

The Lindy Hop is an American dance that was started because of Jazz and it can be danced to anything in 4/4 rhythm. I actually watched a video of people dancing this way as I listened to the song at the same time, I just turned off the sound to the video of the dancers.

Just as a note, I do have an idea of who Alfred was dating the first time and what happened, but I figured it'd be better not to include it since I'd probably make some people mad. For the record it was Ivan. But clearly Ivan isn't mad at Aflred. I have a feeling that Ivan probably did something that scared Alfred. Maybe he was too pushy. Anyway, they broke up and Ivan set Alfred up with Arthur unbeknownst to Alfred. Clearly, he's not all that bad.

As for France. I do apologize. He'd have his own story. May as well fall in love with Matthew if we're doing UsUk here, Franada fits. So Matthew probably teaches Francis to be less of a crude pervert. End up with the characters as they are now.


	2. Safe and Sound UsUk

This is "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift for UsUk. I hope you're prepared. I cried so hard writing this. The song is from the Hunger Games, so it's set in a war-time like period. Probably one of the World Wars. It doesn't matter really.

Anyway, with the lyrics of the song, I had to give imagery of the "the sun is going down" leading me to conclude that Alfed died as he's often described as sunlight. Yes, character death. It fits the song.

The nice thing about this one is that **_I don't explicitly say they're in a romantic relationship_** (although I'm thinking it sent the instruction were to send a ship), so if you don't like UsUk, you may still enjoy this in a fatherly relationship sort of way.

* * *

Arthur could not believe it. Everything had gone so horribly wrong all at once.

The cold, hard, unforgiving wall dug into his back. The only warmth came from the man that was standing over him, shielding him from the blows. Arthur tried looked up at Alfred, wanting to see the light in his eyes that always made everything they had been though, all of the nightmarish gunfire and attacks less terrifying with simply a smile, the exhausting heat more bearable with his boisterous laughter, the heart wrenching fear of what tomorrow would bring less daunting. But all Arthur saw was his neck and chest as his head bowed over Arthur protectively.

A wave of pain seared through Arthur's back, leaving him senseless. All he could feel was gut churning agony, acrid smoke filled his lungs and blinding white spots appeared in his eyes.

How could everything have gone so wrong?

Arthur tried to lift his head, still fuzzy from what he assumed was a cannon blast. He opened his eyes and saw white light. That wasn't a good sign. They had been in a dimly lit bunker. It took him a few seconds to realize he was on his back, pain wracked his body as he tried to move.

"Alfred," Arthur's voice cracking and choked. He received no reply.

Desperation overcame Arthur's pain and fear. He bent his head upwards and tried to briefly glance around, closing his eyes as a wave of pain shot through his spine down into his fingertips.

"Alfred," his voice laden with even more desperation and now a hint of despair as he spotted the blonde head not meters from him, face down with his head turned away from Arthur. No. No this couldn't happen. Arthur started panicking, there was no way he could continue in this hell hole without his ray of sunshine to make everything better. Alfred promised he'd never leave him alone out here. Tears pricked his eyes as his chest burned with resentment. Resentment at the Germans, resentment towards this bloody war. Resentment towards his only friend.

Hope rekindled as Alfred coughed into the dirt.

"Alfred!" It was the only word he could manage. He wanted so badly to ask if he was alright, to make sure Alfred was OK. Seeing him move, realizing he was still alive gave Arthur enough strength to push himself up, ignoring the blinding pain as much as he possibly could.

He crawled at a painstakingly slow pace, dragging his beaten limbs over the rough gravel that still remained in the soil. There was nothing in the world besides Alfred. No amount of war raging around them could have kept Arthur from him.

"Alfred, please answer me." Arthur pleaded, tears finally falling, briefly cooling Arthur's burning face, stinging his eyes as they washed out the poising that filled the air.

"Arthur?" Alfred finally choked out a response, and Arthur could feel his chest relax somewhat.

It took all of Arthur's strength to make it over to Alfred. Alfred was not moving an inch. At first, it hadn't bothered Arthur as much. Alfred had responded to him, and that was good enough until he could figure out what needed to be done.

The hope was quickly extinguished as he finally reached Alfred and managed to lift himself high enough to look at the damage. Arthur's arms lost the ability to support himself. Alfred's shirt was torn to shreds, his back bleeding profusely. There was no way to stop all of that blood, it was too widespread. A small trickle of dark, hideous, liquid ran towards the impression Arthur was making in the ground and his throat burned as he dry heaved acrid bile.

"Arthur…are you alright?" What a goddamn bloody stupid question.

"Yes, Alfred. I'm alive." He couldn't stop his voice from cracking as he spoke. This was not the time to be fall apart.

"Can you move your toes?" Arthur asked, hoping that trying something, anything at all, to help the man was better than just crying.

"I can't move…anything." Arthur fought back a sob, his heart fought against his ribcage, demanding to be released as Alfred tried to move his head to face Arthur, only to have it flop back down in the same place.

"Don't worry, I'll move for you." Arthur was starting to get his senses back, but every movement was still causing him blinding pain. He fought to push himself into a sitting position, struggled to push Alfred onto his side so he could at least breathe properly. Finally, Arthur managed to move the burly man and placed Alfred's head in his lap, gently stroking his still brightly golden hair.

"I don't think…I'm going to make it." Alfred gasped, coughing again.

Arthur couldn't imagine anything that would have hurt worse. His bright sunlight, his source of relief, the only thing that kept him moving forward when everything else seemed so terrible.

He could not hide his sob, desperately wiping his eyes as he tried to keep it together. Despite the fear and loneliness that was overcoming Arthur, there was no way in hell Arthur was going to fail Alfred now.

"It's ok, Alfred. Everything is going to be alright. Someone will find us."

The next minutes passed in a surreal haze. Arthur could only watch as terror and sadness clawed at his throat. Watch as Alfred's breathing slowed. Watch as his bright blue eyes dimmed as he struggled to keep them open.

"Don't leave me, Arthur." Burning pain clutched at Arthur's chest at hearing the man who was always so cheerful. Alfred had always brought the brightest days into existence and Arthur thought that Alfred was the one person whose spirit could never be dampened as Arthur watched him finally give in to despair. Finally show a hint of fear. Finally be the one to beg Arthur for a source of comfort and not the other way around.

"I won't. I won't ever leave your side." Arthur continued to stroke Alfred's hair. The dirt and grease and sweat forgotten as he clung to the last remaining light of the only person who had ever truly mattered.

"I'm so tired."

"Just close your eyes. I will stay here. Everything will be OK."

Arthur looked up at the blue sky, the sky that always reminded him of Alfred's eyes. The eyes that had already lost their shine behind closed lids.

"You'll be safe soon."

* * *

So this is probably a tragedy. It sure as hell isn't a climax to a different love story, but you might be sneaky and figure out a way to insert it into FrUk if you wish. However it could be a story about Arthur having to live a life without Alfred after being with him for forever. Maybe he has to find his own source of light.

It's a little bit flexible in that maybe Arthur acts as Alfred's voice of reason so they have a mutually beneficial relationship. It doesn't have to be romantic, although I threw in a few detail to suggest that it is since it WAS supposed to be for a ship request. You're welcome to change it if you want to use a fic.


	3. Lime in the Coconut Frain

Alright everyone. Here is another song and a ship thingies. It's "Lime in the Coconut" for Frain submitted by an anonymous individual. I've never really considered Frain before, so I hope I do this justice. It's kind of a fun ship though. At least, I had fun writing this. I did end it with another little joke. You send me a ridiculous song, you get ridiculous stuff. But that's the fun part and I am a huge fan of ridiculous.

* * *

Antonio opened his eyes briefly and snapped them back shut again without time to register his surroundings.

"Oh, mi dios," he groaned. The pain coursing through his head was bashing his skull repeatedly as light streamed into the room poking holes through his eyes. He covered his face with a hand trying to remember what had happened.

A fleeting thought was all he could manage with the pounding in his head. That's right, there had been a party.

He opened his eyes as he realized he had no idea where he was. After blinking for a few seconds and looking around the room, Antonio realized that opening his eyes was not helpful for figuring out where he was. The surroundings were completely unfamiliar. He searched for his phone for a minute before he noticed it was on a small table that had been placed next to…it looked like he had slept on a couch all night.

It took him a few tries before he could successfully grab the phone, his coordination was not what it usually was and the table kept tilting in a slightly fuzzy haze that made Antonio's stomach churn. He finally managed to grab his cell phone and looked to see if he had any messages.

Nothing.

Ok, time to text Gilbert. Antonio vaguely remembered that he had been the one to suggest going to the party, and then he remembered that he had been a third wheel since Gilbert had brought his girlfriend, Eliza along. Why had he agreed to the party again?

Oh. Right.

Their attractive blonde neighbor had invited them to his end of semester party.

~ What happened? Where am I?

Antonio laid back down and closed his eyes as he waited for a reply, still trying to piece the previous evening together, but nothing new was coming to mind. He could extrapolate a few things. One, he had drank entirely too much alcohol. Not totally unusual since he was used to living in a frat house. Two, he hadn't been arrested, and hopefully neither had Gilbert although he couldn't be sure. Hopefully Eliza had kept him under control since Antonio assumed Gilbert was probably just as bad off as he was. Three, someone had offered to keep his drunk ass on their couch, although he didn't know who.

Wait, there was something about running out of alcohol at some point in the night. And something had happened where Antonio was the center of attention.

Oh right, there had been literally only a lime and coconut rum left. Nothing you could make a drink with normally. But then Antonio remembered. Right, Gilbert dared me to drink it. That bastard, I was already too far gone. Gilbert never did know when to quit.

He made an attempt to glance around the room once again, squinting in the harsh light. The couch and his surrounding were beginning to look slightly familiar, although Antonio hadn't quite pieced that part of the puzzle together before he heard footsteps coming from somewhere nearby. His neck throbbed as he turned to face the noise.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

"It lives!" The man that entered the room was none other than Gilbert and Antonio's incredibly attractive neighbor, Francis Bonnefoy. Antonio re-covered his face with his hand, wishing against hope that he was actually still asleep and Francis really hadn't seen him like this. He hadn't had very many attempts to make an impression on their neighbor, and this was _not_ how he wanted to be seen.

"Hey…uh…thanks for letting me stay the night." Antonio croaked. He felt a small vibration in his hand and lifted the phone heavily to his face. It's too late Gil, I already figured out where I am.

~ Man, u passed out. I was 2 drunk 2 drag u back. Fran said u could stay.

God dammit. Really? Was Gil that bad off that he couldn't make it over one freaking house to bring Antonio home? Was Antonio really bad enough that he couldn't make it himself? Why hadn't Eliza dragged him back seeing as he knew she was strong enough? The night must have been more exciting than he thought. He looked back up at the blonde that was still standing over him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked with a small, knowing smile on his face. Why? Why did it have to be like this?

"Awful. I feel awful." Antonio replied honestly, although he wasn't about to mention what a gigantic tool he felt like. "I'm really sorry I crashed on your couch."

"Hey, it's alright. It was all too entertaining watching you down half a bottle of rum with nothing but a lime in it." The accent made Antonio's stomach turn over, and he swallowed air as his throat was dry enough to be one of his father's bad jokes.

Crap, was it really that much rum? Maybe Gilbert was better off than Antonio after all. The bastard never could look out for him when they went out drinking. But, he always made up for it somehow.

~ U ok?

~ Yeah, feel like shit. Could have used a warning.

"Where's your bathroom?" Antonio asked, just in case he needed to throw up, way beyond feeling embarrassed by the question.

"Off to the right down that hall. I can make you something that might help your stomach if you need." Francis was waiting patiently which wasn't helping Antonio's stomach that was currently twisting upon itself violently every time the man spoke.

"Please. If you don't mind." Antonio's hand had not left his face except to answer Gilbert's texts, and he was starting to feel sweat underneath his fingers. He lifted his hand just in time to watch Francis walk through a door into the kitchen, watching his broad shoulders press against the fabric of the silky shirt he was wearing.

~ Sry. Will do better nxt time. But ur at the hot guys place.

~ Making a fool of myself.

It only took a few seconds until Francis came back into the living room with a small cup filled with a cloudy liquid. Antonio squinted in confusion as he took the cup.

"What is it?" He asked taking a whiff. The sweet smell of coconut was sickening and made his already upset stomach complain even further.

"It's coconut juice with a hint of lime and here's some Ibuprofen." He said handing Antonio a couple of small tablets.

"No, please why?" Antonio groaned. Coconut rum was what had made him sick in the first place. Just the thought of it made his stomach protest and his head throb.

"If you just drink the juice and not the alcohol it helps to hydrate you, which is no doubt one of the reasons you feel so terrible this morning. The lime is just because I like to tease. But really, it will help." Francis smirked at Antonio who squinted in mistrust. He probably deserved this for as much of an ass as he had made of himself. Putting the tablets in his mouth first, Antonio pinched his nose to avoid smelling the drink as he used it to down the medicine.

~ Oh yeah, I remember that.

~ What? Did I do nething else that I shld no about?

Dammit Gil, be helpful for once.

"Thanks. Again." It was the only thing Antonio could think to say.

Francis cleared his throat, which caused Antonio to look up at him. No please don't. Don't say what I think you're about to say. "Do you…uh….remember anything…that you may have said or done?"

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Fuck.

Antonio groaned loudly in response. It was getting to the point where he simply did not want to know anymore. There was no way it wouldn't be incredibly embarrassing anymore. Not after Francis asked that question of him. Obviously there was something he should have remembered.

~ Ya. U kinda confessed ur undyin love to Fran

Antonio could not tear his eyes from the phone. Couldn't bring himself to face the man whose presence was suddenly very painful as the burning filleted his skin under Francis' stare. He simply stared at his phone as the world crashed down around him. It could have been dancing like a complete idiot. Hell, it could have been stripping. Antonio would even have preferred getting arrested. Anything but this.

It took a very, very long while before Antonio remembered Francis had asked him a question. Nope. Not dealing with this. Where is a gaping hole in the ground when you needed it? Antonio pulled the blanket over his face without looking over towards Francis.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered. There was nothing to be done except hope against hope that Francis would simply leave and let Antonio wallow in his own stupidity. A gut wrenching shock ran through his system as he felt the covers being lifted off of his head. Antonio knew there was no point in fighting it. The damage had been done and it was time to face the consequences.

The shock only worsened when Francis put his hand on Antonio's shoulder. Burning embarrassment and shame flooded Antonio starting from where Francis had made contact with him. Time slowed as he looked into the blonde's bright, blue eyes that were smiling so innocently at him. Like nothing was wrong. Francis' face mocked Antonio making his own face burn as despair engulfed him, leaving him stranded on an island surrounded by sirens that were pulling him to his death.

"So you don't remember anything?" Antonio's stomach plummeted to his feet. At least it couldn't make him sick down there. There was only one thing to do, even if Francis was just toying with him when knew full well what Antonio had done. Lie like a mother fucker.

"No"

Antonio inhaled sharply, his chest tightened uncomfortably when Francis leaned in closer. It was impossible to breathe as Francis smirked at him with half-lidded eyes. Antonio's hands clutched to his breast for protection, tensing at every slight movement from Francis.

Francis' voice was low when he spoke, "Then you won't mind if I do this, I think."

It became no easier to breathe when Francis face came close to Antonio's own, stopping right before their lips touched, his breath brushing Antonio's cheek. Antonio barely had time to register what was about to happen before Francis pressed his lips roughly against Antonio's own. His eyes widened, pulling at his forehead and the sides of his face. Antonio's mind racing and yet not thinking of a single thing as he began to melt into the kiss. The soft warmth of Francis' mouth against his began unscrewing the knots that had been stuck in his stomach all morning. Francis' hands found their way to Antonio's cheek, touching it ever so lightly as he pulled away. Antonio could not move. He was completely stunned from the very last reaction he had ever expected from Francis.

Antonio said nothing, did nothing as Francis smiled lightly at him, face still close to his own. The previous burning that his embarrassment had produced was nothing but a thought of sunlight in the tundra compared to the burning that spread across his cheeks now. His attention was drawn by the vibrations coming from his pocket.

Breaking eye contact, Antonio looked to his phone, mildly glad for the brief intermission in his descent into being more and more humiliated, no matter how exciting it may have been. His nerves were shot and any reprieve was welcomed. Antonio didn't even care that Francis was looking over his shoulder.

Gil had sent three more texts.

~ Hey what's happening

~ Shit I'm sorry

~ I should have said something 1st thing

You think you dumb bastard?

~ He just kissed me

Antonio threw his phone to the edge of the couch, unwilling to face the shit storm that was undoubtedly going to ensue after telling Gil what had happened.

Francis chuckled as Antonio looked him in the eyes, pausing, still unable to believe the events that had just transpired over the last few seconds.

"Your friend is entertaining as well."

"Oh yeah? What did he do? Because I still don't remember anything." Antonio said as he gave the sweetest, most unknowing smile he could muster. It didn't matter anymore that Francis knew he was flat out lying at this point. He'd already kissed him. And it gave Antonio some sense of comfort, for whatever reason, to keep lying out loud as he let his actions speak for him instead. Although, he really didn't have a clue as to what had happened for the rest of the night.

"You and…what's his name, Gilbert? You had a fight about who was a better kisser. He came at you throwing wide punches. But you, good sir, had the good sense to grab broom and use it as a battle axe."

Antonio actually laughed. Maybe he had already paid the stupid bastard back already. "Mi amigo, please. Who won?"

"Well, the battle itself remained undecided as neither of you were able to land a single blow, you were both so uncoordinated at that point. So instead, Gilbert asked his girlfriend what she thought and you turned to me, begging me to kiss you and prove to Gilbert that you were the better kisser. That was about the time you started your nearly ten minute long confession because I refused on the grounds that you were drunk out of your mind. You sure you don't want to answer that?"

Nope, that was all he could handle. Maybe Francis had kissed him, but Antonio had still made a complete fool of himself. He groaned as Francis made him answer his cell that had been vibrating constantly since he had thrown it across the couch. Antonio noticed that there were seven text messages and finally Gilbert was calling him.

He answered the call with a sigh. Why on earth Gilbert couldn't take a hint and just leave well enough alone Antonio had never been able to figure out.

"Hello?"

" _ **PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN!"**_

* * *

Yep, that's it. Hella fun. Anyway, this portion is probably a beginning. There may be some stuff beforehand about the angst involved when Antonio is developing his crush on Francis. But afterwards, if you want them to fall in love, you'll need to give Francis some bad point.

If you want a love story, what I see happening is that Francis doesn't particularly love Antonio to begin with. He's probably just toying with him a bit here. So something would have to happen to make Francis start falling in love with Antonio. Maybe Antonio protects him from something at some point. I'm not sure. Antonio has LOTS of good points and it's totally feasible.

If you don't want them to fall in love, or like the BTT more, what probably happens is that they both decide dating each other really isn't their thing, but still enjoy hanging out together. I will say though, if they start hanging out as the bad touch trio, Gilbert probably breaks up with Eliza...just saying. I really can't see her standing them or putting up with it.


	4. Radioactive RusAme

I offered to make the characters dragons (I love dragons so much) if they chose an Imagine Dragons song. So it's **RusAme with Radioactive**. I'm going to go ahead and explain some stuff so you can actually enjoy this and so you know what you're getting into beforehand because it would be cruel if I didn't. First off, the song itself. It's apocalyptic and revolutionary. It's about destruction and rebuilding. Here you're going to find the destruction portion, so just keep in mind that there would be more to this. I'm just not going to do it here. It fits with RusAme though, or at least how I see them and what I want to say about them. I'll do it justice don't worry. But do not expect this to be some sort of heroic one shot. It's not. It's scary. You put the two most powerful countries together and they can be completely devastating. Hence why the Cold War was so scary. Which is where I'm deriving inspiration this time. However, instead of being enemies, they'll be allies (friends, lovers, whatever you want. I'm not getting into that here, it'd take too long), which is even scarier than the Cold War. It's a force that couldn't have been stopped (sorry the rest of the world).

I didn't bother too much with song history. The band is already American. And the music video is its own story. So this is based on emotion and lyrics only. In its own way, it does match the music video though.

So now that you know what you're getting into, just try and enjoy the terrifying beauty of it for now. There are notes at the end to help you imagine an actual story. One that you can create yourself.

* * *

Dusky air filled the grey dragon's lungs as he inhaled deeply, just waking up to the light of a new day. He yawned, inhaling enough of the surrounding atmosphere that he could taste the burn of chemicals. The grey dragon shifted in order to stand up, stretching his front legs out and yawning widely again, muscles rippling underneath a sheen of pristine white and grey scales.

The dragon took a moment to scratch his head on a front paw, noticing how slick his scales had become from the ashes and humidity that filled the air. His eyes were alight with fire as he recollected the events of the previous evening before the dragon he was with and himself had fallen asleep from exhaustion. They had entirely too much fun destroying a nearby village the night before and had stayed up long after his partner liked to be asleep.

His fellow dragon was still sound asleep, inhaling deeply and making low grumbling sounds that shook the mountain in a manner that calmed the grey dragon. Choosing to let the blue dragon sleep, the grey dragon took the time to observe the city they had chosen to roost over for the night. It was amusing to see the people try to flee. No matter how much time they gave them, it was never enough time for everyone to flee, and he could expect that there would be plenty of satisfying screams when the two dragons began their work.

The city below was spotted with a few dim lights here and there as grey shadows moved in the twilight. Tall buildings loomed in front of their perch, as a beacon, calling the grey dragon to take it down. Begging him.

Why not have just a tiny bit of fun while he waited.

It grew tiring to wait for the blue dragon to awaken sometimes, although, this was mostly because the grey dragon didn't sleep nearly as much as the other. But the grey dragon understood this, and the blue dragon understood that he didn't always like to be kept waiting.

He peaked over the edge of the cliff for just a moment before plunging off at breakneck speed, plummeting downward and not extending his wings until the very last second…or what he thought was the last second. The grey dragon was not as agile as the blue dragon and crashed into the ground with a deafening thud, flattening a few smaller buildings. He shook it off, craning his neck over to examine his back. There were a few scales missing and a small amount of blood trickled down his spine. That was going to leave a mark, he thought. A few stragglers that were left in the city began screaming and running away from the dragon. At least he had gotten some amusement out of his blunder.

However, he had accidentally destroyed a section of the city, something the grey dragon had been trying to avoid for the sake of his companion. He'd have to make it up to him somehow.

Gossamer thin grey wings covered the sun as the grey dragon took off and flew over the city. Not exactly sure what he was looking for, the pace was slow and steady as his great purple eyes cast a chilling stare over the city, making people cower in fear and unable to run. An icy fired burned in the dragon's massive chest at the sight.

That's when he spotted it. A white flag of surrender. It was massive too, meaning it probably originally belonged to the small red dragon that used to inhabit this area. The citizens of the town must have hung it during the night while the dragons slept in an attempt to evade the inevitable. The flag only made the grey dragon angrier though. If it had belonged to the red dragon, then that meant the citizens had taken it after his death and his chest puffed in anger.

It had taken the two dragons on the cliff a long time, but now, there were no more tanks to oppose them. The artillery had ceased to fire at them when the humans began to run instead of trying to fight anymore. It was an overwhelming victory for the dragons. The grey dragon smirked sadly as he reminisced on the friends he had lost over the years, including the red dragon who had always loved the humans and had been betrayed. Now, it was only him and the blue dragon left.

It was a perfect trophy really. A symbol of how far they had come. The dragon's eyes flashed menacingly as he ripped the flag from its stand, tearing the fabric and sending another wave of screams through the crowd below. In a display of wild arrogance that he had picked up over time from his companion, the grey dragon draped the flag around his neck and snorted a puff of hot smoke through the city.

Before heading back to their shared mountain top, the grey dragon found what appeared to be a large vat of red liquid from the town and took it with him. Why the humans had this he couldn't fathom, maybe it had been an offering to the red dragon before the war, but the grey smiled as he thought about how happy this would make the blue dragon. He knew from experience that the blue dragon loved trophies as much as he did, but this was different. The blue dragon would have to find his own trophy since the grey dragon had already claimed his. It would mean more that way.

He landed softly on the ground next to the blue dragon, staring unblinkingly as the sunlight danced off of the deep azure scales. Even though he knew it was because they were dragons, that their scales were impervious to dirt and most damage, he couldn't help but admire their brilliance.

From there, he waited patiently, watching the blue dragon's chest rise and fall, eyes flutter beneath his closed lids as the scales above them quivered.

It didn't take much longer for the other dragon to wake, stretching much in the same way that the grey dragon had, except this dragon had a more pleasant expression when he wasn't actively destroying towns. The grey dragon didn't exactly understand it, but it was amusing to him that the blue dragon could switch from a laid back, almost friendly expression into a fierce killing machine in next to no time at all. In a way, the grey dragon almost admired the trait. But it was that naivety that had gotten their race in trouble in the first place and would need to be extinguished for them to survive. The grey dragon lived for the blaze that burned in the other's eyes as they crushed entire towns together, and it was that thought that had kept him from killing the other.

Once the blue dragon has fully awoken, the grey dragon allowed him a moment to look over the new section of their kingdom before pushing the vat towards him. The blue dragon's eyes light up in what the humans may have called delight. War paint.

The grey dragon helped the blue dragon line himself with stripes, not putting any of the paint on himself. Again, it wasn't that the grey dragon understood why the other dragon liked this. But while he was acting like a hatchling now, the paint made the other dragon ten times more ferocious, for whatever reason. The grey dragon focused on spreading the paint evenly to distract his wandering mind that wanted so badly to attack the town finally. But it would be more satisfying this way.

It took a while, but after some time the paint covered the blue dragon from head to toe. He stood proudly on the edge of their cliff, a toothy snarl starting to spread across his jawline, muscles tensed in all four of his legs as he prepared himself for the start. The grey dragon was already prepared. He did not need coaxing in order to instill bone chilling fear into the filthy humans that sobbed on the street as whatever little hope they had left fled the town faster than their tiny, worthless feet could carry them.

The grey dragon joined the blue dragon on the edge of the cliff and glanced sideways at him, eye slits dilating in ecstasy around his great, purple lenses.

Before the took off, they each grabbed a can filled with a toxic, green slush, and the grey dragon lifted a lip on just one side of his jaw at the thought of building seared with the substance. It wasn't completely necessary, but the stuff was trapping the remaining citizens in the city, ensuring good sport. Plus it produced a dazzling light when lit that both dragons found enticing. More than once had they each burned themselves as they got too close to its brilliance, but that didn't stop them from wanting to use the stuff. They simultaneously spread their wings and descended onto the city. Dropping the acid on the outer edges before diving into the middle

It wasn't long before the grey dragon had lost sight of the blue dragon as he was too enveloped in his own pleasure to notice all of his surroundings, not that it mattered at this point.

The screams of terror filled the dragon's ears in a cacophony of music and he basked in the destruction. Their shouts blanketing the morning air in a haze of confusion and disaster. Crying women and children tried to run. The fools should have thought of that last night, the grey dragon thought as he burned a group of them to a crisp, the heat kissing his cheeks softly.

A nearby building exploded as the blue dragon burst through it in a twisting aerial sweep and fire lit up the still dim morning, burning the humidity from the air. The red contrasted with the blue, making the dragon that much easier to spot, causing people to be unable to rip their gaze from his cat-like stare as they died where they stood. The grey dragon noticed that his comrade had acquired a trophy of his own. A thick chain with a smashed car door clasped to it. Something fun must have happened with a car. The blue dragon's trophies were usually chosen out of sport. Maybe the humans had tried to fight back.

Together, they flattened the city and all of the remaining residents in a few hours.

* * *

If I had to say, this is probably the climax of some story. The song itself was suggestive of a climax and there's a sort of terrifying brilliance to this. So you can imagine whatever you want to get them to this point or whatever you want afterwards to tell a different story. One that you would actually like to read about.

If it's the beginning of a story, the story is about rebuilding and Russia will need to learn how to actually build something instead of just destroying it.

If it's the end of a story. Well. You get exactly what you just read. Possible if you just want to show how terrifying power can really be.

Maybe they conquer space next. WHO KNOWS THEY'RE DRAGONS AND CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK THEY WANT TO!


	5. The Riverside

I wrote this fic based off of the picture drawn by shy-gurl914 on tumblr.

I had the PERFECT song to go with it. I'm 99.9% sure anyone reading has never heard it before since it's on a hidden track to an Artist I had never heard before. Seriously, my friend had burned a CD for me and it had the song on it. I fell in love with the song so much that I spent DAYS trying to figure out what it was called and who the artist was. The artist is **Aaron Espe** and I believe the title is **"Riverside"** but it's after the song "My Whole Life" on the track "Home".

I may try to play it on the guitar sometime if I get a chance. I've wanted to learn it anyway.

Anyway, a song and a family.

* * *

"ALFRED!" Matthew had never screamed so loudly in his life as he watched his brother dive into the shallow rapids. He watched with terror as Alfred swam out to rescue Michelle who had fallen in the river and was being slowly and painfully dragged downstream by the current.

He knew they shouldn't have done this. Arthur had warned them countless times that they weren't supposed to go to the river by themselves. "It was dangerous." He had said. But Alfred, being the stubborn mule that he was, had kept bothering Matthew and Michelle to go with him after they had gotten home from school a mere hour before Francis was supposed to come home.

It was Michelle who had finally caved to Alfred's crazy idea. She argued that maybe they could try catching a fish for dinner. "Besides," Alfred had reasoned, if you could call it reason, "It's not like the river is very far from our house. We could make it back in time and no one would ever know. "

Matthew still didn't like the idea. He had tried to argue that it wasn't worth the risk and that they could wait for Francis to come home before they went to the riverside.

"What if someone gets hurt and no one is around to help us?" He tried to argue, but once Alfred had an idea, he never let it drop, and it wasn't helping that Michelle had finally giving in to his shenanigans.

He watched his brother and sister in the water, desperately wanting to help, but unsure as to what he could do. Alfred was already going to rescue Michelle, which was probably better since he was the stronger swimmer. Matthew could only wait as panic started to take hold of him.

"MICHELLE! I'm coming!" Alfred gurgled as he swam as fast as he could towards Michelle who was struggling to stay afloat. Matthew stopped breathing as he waited for Alfred to catch up to her. It's not that Michelle wasn't a good swimmer, she just got scared easily. Even so, it shouldn't have been that difficult for her to make it back to shore.

Another wave of panic coursed through Matthew as Alfred shouted in pain. He thought he really was going to watch his siblings die here. An ice cold feeling of dread spread through Matthew's system at the thought.

But Alfred sputtered to the top of the water and yelled, "I'm fine!" Sending a wave of relief through Matthew. He knew Alfred was probably covering up somewhat, but at least he wasn't too badly injured that he couldn't rescue Michelle.

More relief spread through Matthew as Alfred finally reached Michelle and held her above water before starting to swim towards the shore. At least Alfred had good river sense. He knew not to swim directly against the current and instead swam straight across but still allowing the current to take him a little ways down. As long as he didn't fight the current, they'd be fine.

Matthew ran to where he Alfred and Michelle finally came to the shore, his legs burned slightly from the exertion.

"I told you we shouldn't be here!" He said, defiance layering his tone. Alfred always managed to get them in trouble. It was about time he learned his lesson.

Alfred didn't say anything, instead choosing to look at the ground. But Michelle started crying.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to get Francis a fish! He lost his other one and it had made him so sad." At that, Matthew gave in. Michelle was just trying to be kind, and it wasn't her fault that the fish had been so close. She had only tried a little too hard to get it, falling in the river in the process.

Alfred pulled her close, "It's not your fault, its mine. I shouldn't have suggested this." He hugged Michelle tightly, and Matthew thought he saw the smallest tear form at the corner of Alfred's eyes. The sight pulled at Matthew's heart. Alfred never cried.

As Alfred hugged Michelle, Matthew got a glimpse of his elbow which was slowly being covered in bright red blood now that they were out of the water.

"Alfred, you're hurt! Here, let me fix it." Matthew had been so worried that something was going to happen without their parent he had brought some first aid supplies, although he hadn't told the others. Alfred would just have made fun of him for being a worry wart. Matthew knew they weren't going to complain now that it had come in handy. He bandaged the wound on Alfred's elbow and then found another one on his knee.

It was slightly painful to know that there was now evidence of their escapades, but Matthew brushed that away. At least he could help now.

While Matthew was busy finished his bandages, Michelle sniffled a few time before she spoke up.

"At least I got the fish." Her voice was small and trembled slightly, but the faintest smile brushed her face.

Matthew turned to stare at her incredulously.

"You held on to it! You idiot! No wonder you couldn't swim back!" Alfred shouted.

"Calm down!" Matthew told Alfred. "I can't bandage your wounds with you thrashing about like that!" Alfred quit moving, but still glared at Michelle.

Michelle smiled sheepishly, "I couldn't just let go after I actually grabbed it! Besides, you saved me! And it makes up for the fact that now Francis and Arthur are definitely going to find out that you MADE us go to the river without them! You can't hide those bandages."

Matthew almost laughed as Alfred's blue eyes widened in fear. "No! You agreed to it! Please don't tell them that! I just wanted to have fun!"

The poor guy really didn't have any bad intentions by just wanting to have some fun at the river. And Matthew knew that Michelle was just giving Alfred a hard time, but Alfred hadn't caught on yet. It's not like they were going to make Alfred out to be the bad guy just because he had wanted to have some fun, but they weren't going to let him forget it either.

"No, she won't." Matthew raised an eyebrow at Michelle who started giggling uncontrollably causing Alfred to start pouting.

It wasn't a very large fish, but it was at least something the kids could give as a peace offering for the scolding they were about to receive.

Matthew finished bandaging Alfred and Michelle put her fish into Alfred's bag. Then Matthew tied the red bow that Michelle had taken out of her hair so she wouldn't get it dirty back into her hair. He knew she loved the bow so much and it was important for cheering her up now that the danger had passed. The bow wasn't damaged, and Matthew used it to try and remind her that things weren't as bad as they seemed as she was still sniffling occassionally. After tying the bow, the three began to pack up to head home. Considering the recent events, it was better to go straight back to safety than try and push their luck any farther.

The fall in the river had left Michelle drained though, and her eyes started fluttering with weariness, "Could you carry me?" She asked Matthew since Alfred was already carrying their bag.

"Sure!" Matthew said happily, glad for another opportunity to help out. He was still feeling a little useless since he hadn't been able to do anything during the whole fiasco, but every little opportunity he had to do something helpful after the incident was gladly accepted.

Michelle clambered onto his back, and the three of them set off for home.

"We should do this again tomorrow!" Alfred said happily. He really couldn't get any more dense than he already was. Matthew rolled his eyes and Michelle just sighed as she laid her head onto Matthew's shoulder. It's not like she had any power to stop him this time around since she was the one who had originally agreed, which was too bad because Alfred might have listened to her more.

"No. We're not going without Arthur or Francis ever again." Matthew said as firmly as he could manage.

"Oh come on! We had fun before Michelle couldn't let go of her silly fish!" Alfred whined. There was nothing that was going to stop Alfred from any little rebellion against Arthur's rules. Matthew only hoped that it wouldn't go too far at some point. Michelle pouted against Matthew's shoulder although her face was buried so Alfred probably couldn't see her expression, so Matthew felt the urge to stand up for her since Alfred still didn't see the problem he had created.

"That fish is the only reason we might get off with a warning this time! We can wait for our parents before we go to the river!" Finally Alfred backed off.

"Fine. But you gotta admit, the splashing fight we had before the fish thing was a lot of fun!" Matthew rolled his eyes again, knowing that Alfred was only bringing that up since he had "won", although it was more of a self-proclaimed victory since there hadn't exactly been any rules to the game to begin with. They really had been having a good time before Michelle fell in the river though. In general, playing by the river was always so much fun. Catching crawfish, playing in the shallower rapids, poking at salamanders, running barefoot on the rocks. There was even a rope swing a little ways from where they were that swung them into a small pool.

"Maybe we can convince Francis to take us more often." Matthew knew not to suggest Arthur since Alfred had a problem with the way Arthur nagged them.

The three of them walked home, laughing and reminiscing about all of the good times they had had together at the river as they waded through the shallow water to reach the path that would take them home. The scolding could wait, and it was better to enjoy their moments of fun while they still could.


	6. I Knew You Were Trouble (goats) FrUk

FrUk for aph-england and aph-france on tumblr. The Goat Petition. To the song, "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift, except the version with screaming goats.

I had considered using the female version of France and an agender England, but I really liked the interaction of the originals, plus I could throw in some FACE family references. Maybe when the song isn't ridiculous.

* * *

Francis could tell by the sound of Arthur attempting to put the key in the door and failing that he had been drinking that night. However, he just continued cooking as Arthur finally managed to get the door open. Whatever shenanigans Arthur had gotten into tonight were likely to turn out hilarious for Francis.

"Psst. Hey, Francis!" Arthur said, whispering a little too loudly which caused Francis to snicker to himself.

"Oui, mon amour? What is it?" Francis replied without looking over his shoulder. He didn't want Arthur to see him laughing at how ridiculous Arthur was when drunk.

"We should get a goat," was the reply Francis received.

Confused at Arthur's statement, Francis stopped stirring the content of the large pot he had on the stove as the smirk fell from his face. The brief though of a goat inside their newly rented flat frightened Francis. They had just bought the place together and there wasn't exactly a back yard or even a porch for such an animal. He dearly hoped that Arthur was just hallucinating about goats from being so drunk. But Arthur didn't sound quite THAT drunk. Francis wasn't sure which idea scared him more.

Slowly, Francis turned around over his shoulder to face Arthur who was still standing in the doorway. He peered at Francis through the partially open door.

"Why should we get a goat?" Francis asked. It was probably better to try and talk Arthur down from whatever delusions he had about owning a goat now before he actually went out and got one.

Arthur laughed hysterically but it was muffled as he at least attempted to be quiet. Francis was still certain that their neighbors were listening to their conversation. He had noticed that Christensen and Lukas' arguing in the flat next to theirs had stopped just moments before Arthur opened the door, "Because they're suuuper cute," Arthur said.

Those words made Francis stomach flip uncomfortably. The way Arthur said it, all adoring-like, began to seed a hint of real fear as Francis wondered if Arthur hadn't already done something stupid. He never talked like that, not even when he was drunk. The facts started to slowly add up. Between the neighbor's ceased conversation, the giddy manner in which Arthur was speaking to him, the fact that Arthur had never even wanted to go to the zoo to see a real goat before, and the way he was standing in the doorway were making Francis go on high alert.

"Why aren't you coming inside?" Francis finally asked. He didn't want to know the answer to that question at this point, but avoiding it could prove to be far more dangerous.

"Umm…" Arthur looked at the ceiling and bit his lower lip as he avoided the question. This caused Francis to worry even more.

"Arthur, what did you do?" Francis demanded. It was time to stop beating around the bush. Arthur was hiding something. Something that Francis really didn't want to know about, but would have to address. He'd already married the idiot after all.

"Well...we may already have a goat." Arthur said, biting his lip harder but failing to hide the stupid smile plastered on his face. Francis groaned and shook the spoon he was still holding at Arthur.

"We can't have a goat! Not in here! Why would you buy a goat?" Francis cried, his voice filled with rage and horror. Maybe once they were able to afford the small farm they had dreamed of, but not now! Not here!

"Because look at it!" Arthur said as he opened the door, revealing a small, brown mottled kid. Francis stared for only half a moment before bursting in anger.

"WHY DID YOU BRING IT INSIDE?!" Francis yelled at the front door. The goat cowered at the sound of his voice before trying to run down the hall away from the raucous. Luckily, Arthur had a rope around its neck so the goat didn't get very far.

"Shh! Don't scare Muffin!" Arthur said to Francis. He could not believe that Arthur actually had the gall to chastise him at the moment. He had gone out and not only bought a goat without asking Francis first, but he had brought it inside their flat!

Francis sank to his knees. He was going to have to deal with drunk Arthur AND a baby goat now. It was too late to do anything about the goat. If Arthur had come home earlier like he was supposed to, it may not have been a problem. But no, the stupid, drunk _fils de salope_ had to bring home a goat.

"You NAMMED it? _C'est des conneries."_

At that Arthur pouted, making Francis wish he had been a little more understanding. Arthur's face really couldn't get any cuter than when he gave Francis puppy dog eyes like that. Especially if he was drunk and actually showing feelings. Francis lowered his head in defeat, letting the spoon fall to his side causing a small drop of sauce fall to the floor. It took a moment before he could finally face Arthur again.

"Fine, it can stay the night, but you have to make sure it doesn't break anything. And we're taking it back tomorrow when you're sober enough to realize the goat is a bad idea." Francis told him. It was the best solution he could come up with at the moment since there wasn't really anything he could do to get rid of the goat tonight. Not to mention that if they gave the goat away now he'd also have to deal with Arthur being a sad drunk which no one wanted. As for keeping it indoors, there really wasn't anything to be done there either. There wasn't a place to keep the goat on the street outside safely.

"Yaaayyy!" Arthur said, voice full of the naïve glee that comes from having your inhibitions lowered.

"Why me?" Francis asked himself quietly as he turned to finish up dinner.

Not a few minutes later Francis heard Arthur singing. It wasn't so much the fact that Arthur was singing as it was the lyrics that caused Francis to turn towards the living room. There he saw the goat climbing the furniture and it somehow managed to walk across the wall on top of the picture frames. Francis' eyes widened in alarm as he watched the goat defy gravity by walking on a near vertical surface.

"No! Get that goat down!" Francis called. Babysitting Arthur and a goat didn't sound like his idea of fun. The brief discussion he had with Arthur in the past concerning adopting children quickly seemed unreasonable and even downright foolish.

It took Francis a good chunk of the night to get the goat to a safe room where it couldn't damage anything, get Arthur to stop being overly giddy and sit down so he wouldn't damage anything, and finally finish dinner so that Francis' own hunger wouldn't cause himself to damage anything. When Francis and Arthur finally went to bed, the alcohol in Arthur's system was returning to a reasonable level. That was when the goat started bleating loudly in the other room.

"Nooooo," Arthur whined as he covered his head with a pillow to drown out the noise. "Muffin, be quiet or you'll have to leave. Don't make Francis mad."

Francis sighed at his lover's physical and emotional state of being. He offered to go sit with the goat until it calmed down. This way, Arthur could stop worrying about Francis hating the goat for now, although Francis still planned on addressing the issue first thing in the morning. Plus, he could stop the awful racket that was keeping both of them up now. When he opened the door to the side room, the goat immediately stopped crying. It watched Francis closely with large, baleful eyes as he sat down next to it.

"You're a real pain in my ass you know." Francis told the goat. Not only had it nearly destroyed a lamp, but now it was forcing Francis to sit with it on the ground. He could have been in the nice comfy bed cuddling an actual human being. The goat just looked up at him in a childish sort of way, but still maddeningly adorable.

His head was telling him that he hated the goat, but his heart said otherwise. Finally, Francis started petting the goat. As soon as he touched it soft and fluffy head, the goat crawled into his lap and snuggled up to him, breathing quietly in the dark room. It's fur was pleasantly warm against Francis' palm.

"A real pain in my ass."

Francis woke the next morning with a crick in his neck. He was curled up on the floor with the goat next to him as Arthur began to shake him awake, back to his usual grumpy self.

"Shit, Francis, I'm so sorry. God, I can't believe I brought home a bloody goat of all things. You're supposed to stop this sort of thing you know." Arthur said, as if trying to pin the blame on Francis. Francis lifted one eye in an expression of mock confusion.

"Nope, we're keeping the goat."

"WHAT?!" Arthur shouted. "You can't be serious, look at the mess it made!"

Indeed, the goat had left small piles of dropping and puddles all over the room during the night.

"It's not my fault the goat is here in the first place. Looks like you've got some cleaning to do." Francis said smirking.

They spent the morning semi-arguing about who the goat really belonged to while they cleaned up the mess together. Francis claimed that the goat was Arthur's because he had originally brought it home. Arthur claimed that the goat belonged to Francis who was clearly more attached to it by now. It was hard to deny that last point as the goat stayed on Francis's heels all morning. Eventually, they decided that it was just too difficult to give the goat back to the person Arthur had bought it from. Mostly because the man was the sort of guy who sold goats to drunk people for a laugh, but also because they had grown attached to Muffin. They even had a small argument about whose last name Muffin would take. Instead of giving the goat away, they found a nearby family with a small yard that offered to keep the goat as long as they took care of it.

Years later

Francis headed down the small dirt path on his and Arthur's farm. The path led to Muffin's pen that now also held Muffin's friend, Mary the cow. It wasn't a very large farm, but it was home.

"Hey, Muffin." He said, patting the now old goat on the head as it ate the feed. Mary came over as well, allowing Francis to pet her as she ate the grain he offered. Some of the grain he fed her from his hand, her large, warm lips lapping Francis' hand. After Francis and Arthur had found the farm and had saved up enough money to start making payments, they had bought Mary. Francis had wanted a cow since before they had Muffin, so it only seemed fair. But they at least waited until they had the means of taking care of a cow before they actually bought one this time.

"Daddy! Wait up!" Matthew called. "I want to feed Mary!"

Francis chuckled. "You missed it, I already fed her. You can feed them tomorrow," he told Matthew, looking down at his son and smiling.

"Aww." Matthew said pouting. "Ok, but make Alfred feed Muffin instead. He always gets to feed Mary."

Again, Francis laughed, "Maybe if you actually reached out to feed Mary instead of shying away. Then Alfred wouldn't always get to feed her," he said as he placed a playful finger on Matthew's nose.

Matthew glared at Francis in a way that said he still thought the gesture was cute, even if it was childish. How much longer Matthew would think that, Francis didn't know. "But she's just so big! I want to be big and strong like Mary! Alfred can stay small like Muffin."

Francis sighed. It had been six years since they had adopted Alfred and Matthew. And yet, they still made Francis feel like he had never known what family was before now. Sometimes they made a huge mess or got into fights or acted like they hated Francis and Arthur. But Francis couldn't imagine life without them in it. It was times like this, when Matthew didn't stop to reason that he and Alfred would probably grow up to be the same height, that Francis was reminded of how naïve and beautiful their world still was.

"Maybe one day. But you'll have to grow up first. While you're waiting, you should enjoy being small and young while you still can. Want to hear a story about the time Muffin climbed on the walls of our old apartment? I bet you Mary couldn't do that." Francis said. It pained him that the kids wanted to grow up so badly sometimes. He wished they could stay young and innocent forever, but it was inevitable. One day, they would grow up and move out and wouldn't be dependent on Arthur and Francis anymore. Francis was at least determined to enjoy the time he did have with them.

Matthew looked up at Francis with large purple eyes, "Ok, can we get a polar bear next?"

The question made Francis' head spin as he remembered their first night with Muffin. He wasn't about to dash Matthew's hopes and dreams right after his little heartfelt speech though. "Why don't we ask Arthur."

"Ok!" Matthew said.

The two set off down the lane towards home, Matthew chatting happily the whole way. Once they had made it back, they were greeted by Arthur's cooking which was blowing black clouds of smoke out the door.

"Can we get a polar bear to be friends with Mary and Muffin?" Matthew asked and Francis' chest hurt from hiding his laughter. Arthur turned to stare at them wide eyed. The scene was too perfect, Arthur frozen in shock with his apron standing over a frying pan. Alfred jumping up and down next to him, bound to make the situation worse than it already was.

"If Matthew gets a polar bear, then I want an alien!" Alfred said. His voice cracked in excitement. Francis openly laughed. Alfred's strange alien phase had created a hilarious comeback for Francis after so many years. After the laughter had died down, Arthur told the kids they were most definitely not getting a polar bear or an alien anytime in the near future. Then, Francis helped Arthur fix breakfast as the kids talked about what they would do if they were allowed to have their desired pets.

* * *

Wow, that was incredibly fluffy. Guuuhhh. Love the FACE family. I hope you guys like it. I based drunk, happy Arthur with how I see Eva acting on tumblr sometimes. Francis was already perfect, so no changes there.

I managed to make this one an actual story instead of just a description of some event that fit the song. The end ties into the beginning, and it actually says something. So I hope you liked it. I'm still really new to writing (seriously, we're talking 2 weeks maybe), so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

I do apologize for getting this out so late. I finally started my rotations so I've been working during the day now. Also, I wanted to do this one well, so I tried a few editing tools like the Hemingway App before I posted. It's here now though.


	7. What If (Forth of July) UsUk

Here's is some UsUk to celebrate the Fourth of July in 2015. There's a lot of medical stuff in here, because that made it easy for me. Anyway, the song is "What If" by Five for Fighting (I would suggest watching the lyric video because the music video will make you cry).

* * *

Arthur felt somewhat foolish sitting in the waiting room.

He couldn't lay his finger on an exact reason, but he had wanted to meet the individual to whom he would be donating to. It hadn't even been a full year, and the registry had called Arthur asking him to donate. The amount of time between signing up for the registry and actually being contacted was a lot shorter than Arthur had expected.

Much too short. He was only nineteen.

Sure, when he signed up he had understood what was expected of him. If he was contacted, he was expected to call back promptly, they'd be relying on him for a donation, yadda yadda yadda. Arthur had just figured he'd be well into his thirties before he even had to consider the registry again, if he had to deal with it at all! The statistics had been in his favor. Only one out of forty people were contacted at all, and usually it took years.

Not one year.

Arthur sighed heavily, closing his eyes as he flopped back against the uncomfortable waiting room chair. He inhaled sharply, and the smell of iodoform attacked his nose. Opening his eyes, he realized why he didn't want to be here.

He had flown half way across the world to meet the person he would be donating to, and he felt selfish for even demanding to do so before the donation. It just seemed wrong to him. But the person had agreed to meet him, if Arthur could make the trip. So he had flown across the Atlantic, by himself no less, to meet this mystery patient. His parents had let him go, but weren't going to pay for more than one ticket. If Arthur wanted to meet this person that badly, he'd have to go alone.

So he did. Not that it made much of a difference to him. Arthur didn't mind alone. But he seriously hoped the trip had been worth the effort. That whomever was going to be receiving the bone marrow transplant wasn't some good-for-nothing slob that had let his health go to waste. Arthur didn't know much about the illnesses that required a bone marrow transplant, but he knew about Americans.

Arthur's eyes snapped open when he heard a soft, female voice call his name. He awkwardly stood, grabbing his small bag of belongings. Unsure of what he would do when he met the person, Arthur had brought a small variety of objects: a camera, football magazines, a book of poetry, and a handheld video game in case he got bored. Now everything he had brought seemed silly. Arthur wasn't even sure he'd get along with the person.

He followed the nurse down the hall, through a door that read "Pediatric". Arthur was too engrossed in trying not to be nervous that he didn't even notice where they were going, but instead just followed the lady down the hallway.

The nurse stopped beside a heavy wooden door. "Alfred's inside. He's been so excited he actually gets to meet his donor."

"Oh, um. That's great. I've been wanting to meet him too." Arthur replied. He wanted to sound more excited, but by this point his stomach was so curled up on itself that he was relieved to be able to respond at all.

Arthur slowly walked through the door, bracing himself for what he might find. Meeting strangers had never been his strong suit, but this time he had no idea what to expect.

As he moved past the curtain so he could view the bed, Arthur's expectations suddenly came crashing down around him.

He gaped at the child. It was a _child_!

Who was bald to boot!

Arthur's throat constricted. He was not prepared for this sort of interaction. If the person had been older than him sure, Arthur could have dealt with that. The bag nearly slipped out of his hands in shock at the small, lanky frame that greeted him.

The boy…what was his name again? Alfred? slowly turned his head. Or maybe it was at a normal speed, but Arthur couldn't process much at the moment, still trying to take in the idea that a child was the one who needed his bone marrow.

When the boy's head finally turned, he opened his eyes and shocked Arthur again with their clarity. Surely, this boy was too ill to have that much life in his eyes. He didn't even have any hair for Christ's sake!

But something about the way the kid looked at Arthur, how his eyes lit up when he noticed who was standing in the doorway, released whatever had been previously incapacitating him.

"Hi," the boy said. His voice was still high pitched, but it was just as clear and full of energy as his eyes. Arthur felt his stomach relax at the broken silence. He quickly walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. A small smile found its way to his face.

"Hello! I hear you need a bone marrow transplant." Arthur knew the kid had been expecting him. It was a relief when the boy gave him a huge, toothy smile.

"Yeah dude, you're my hero!"

That singular comment made Arthur freeze. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the boy's face that was contorted with pure happiness. How could someone who was obviously going through so much be so cheerful? Arthur's throat constricted. Suddenly, all of his problems with his brothers and bullies at school dissipated into nothing. They paled in comparison to the things this kid had obviously been through.

"I…I'm not a hero. I'm just a person." Arthur reasoned. He didn't feel special, especially not next to this kid.

"Sure you are! You're like the scientist who made Captain America! You've got the serum that will make me a superhero!" The boy replied with such conviction, Arthur almost believed it.

Arthur scoffed, "Oh really, and how old are you?" The boy might be young, but certainly not young enough to believe that rubbish.

"Fourteen," again smiling hugely at Arthur.

"You really think you'll get superpowers from me? I'm not much older than you, uhh…" Arthur paused, afraid he had misheard the boy's name from the nurse.

"Alfred!" the boy finished for him.

"And sure I will! Not many people are brave enough to sign up for the bone marrow registry. I wasn't sure I'd ever be matched with someone," Alfred picked up a Captain America figurine that had been hidden from Arthur's view and started playing with it absently. "And, you flew all the way here by yourself to meet me. I'd say that's braver than most people."

"Do you like Captain America?" Arthur inquired. It seemed reasonable for conversation at least, although he still wasn't convinced he was the hero in the room.

Alfred's eyes met Arthur's again and they burned with passion as he began talking, "Yeah dude! He's the best! He started off all puny and weak, but then the scientist gave him that super serum and he became so awesome! Not that he wasn't awesome already, because let's be honest, what makes Captain America the best superhero is his strong sense of what's right and wrong!"

Arthur dropped his head, unable to meet Alfred's eyes any longer. He could fake it for a short period of time, but Arthur was definitely not the type of person Alfred thought he was. No point in crushing his hopes and dreams though.

"Do you like video games?" Arthur asked pulling his hand-held out of his bag.

* * *

Alfred was having the time of his life, dancing and carrying as the speakers jostled his very bones. The dim lighting was forcing him to strain his eyes and he kept bumping into people.

"Hey watch where you're going!" an angry British accents shouted at him.

Alfred turned quickly, but the guy had already disappeared into the wake of people.

It couldn't be.

"Mattie, I need to go put my glasses on. I keep running into people." Alfred shouted over the blaring music.

Matthew's lips were moving, but Alfred couldn't hear him. Judging by the elated expression on his face, Matthew didn't mind. He was normally never this cheery in such a large group of people, but Alfred had made sure there was just the right amount of liquor in his system to reduce his inhibitions for the night so he could have fun on his birthday. Now it was just a matter of making sure he didn't drink too much and stayed in that happily tipsy zone. Alfred couldn't get too distracted, but this was important.

He pushed his way through the mass of people, winking at a few girls to make them blush and move out of his way faster. People always did what you wanted if you just turned on a little bit of charm. Alfred found his way to their table where he had left his small backpack. Jett was sitting with some strangers, chatting them up, but he was keeping an eye on their stuff.

"What's with the koala shirt?" one of the girls asked.

"I'm a big animal enthusiast! I got this for free at the zoo I volunteer at." Jett said. Alfred could have sworn one of the girls nearly fainted from the giant grin Jett gave them. Jett might not have been as stereotypically attractive as Alfred was, but he could certainly lay the charm on thick with his love for fluffy baby animals or wild tales of the dangerous creatures he had dealt with. Jett had more than a few battle wounds from feeding time at the zoo.

"Hey man, can you hand me my glasses?" Alfred asked.

"Oh, are you finally going to wear them?" Jett retorted as he handed Alfred his glasses. Alfred rolled his eyes. Was it really so hard for people to understand that Alfred didn't look nearly as cool while he was wearing them?

"Shut up, this is important." Alfred said. Jett narrowed his eyes, but Alfred put his glasses on and escaped before he could be questioned any further.

As soon as the glasses were on, Alfred could feel people start to ignore him. Before, he had been the center of attention. Now, he could see clearly that no one was looking at him.

Alfred took a deep breath, and tried to find the guy from earlier. Without his glasses it would have been impossible. But that accent…

Then Alfred spotted him, sitting on a stool at the bar next to a girl with her hair in a low pony tail. The whole world stopped and the music faded to a dull roar in the back ground. It really was him.

He took another, larger breath and exhaled slowly, steeling himself to go say hello.

Would he even remember Alfred? Probably not. But that was ok. Alfred remembered him.

He pushed his way back through the crowd, this time having to wait for people to move of their own accord. Alfred didn't even bother trying to lay on charm this time.

Alfred stopped just short of actually being noticed. The girl next to Arthur, or what Alfred had assumed was a girl, had reached out to touch him. The girl has a small stubble on her chin and was wearing men's clothes. The girl was actually another man. Alfred hadn't even thought about the fact that Arthur was probably with his significant other. Male or female.

Then Alfred noticed Arthur's reaction. The man's shoulders tensed and he turned to glare at the man beside him. Alfred's heart plummeted to his feet. They may have been in a gay bar, but that didn't mean everyone here was gay.

That was ok, he still wanted to introduce himself. Maybe get to know Arthur better. Then there was the problem of the guy who was clearly making Arthur uncomfortable, whether or not he realized it.

"Hey babe, how's it going?" Alfred said loudly as he slung his arm over Arthur. When Arthur glanced up angrily at Alfred, he brushed off the look by glancing quickly at the blonde with the ponytail trying to communicate the intent of the gesture. Arthur's small frame loosened and fell and Arthur sighed, not loud enough for the other man to notice though.

"I thought you'd never come back." Arthur said. His voice was still angry, but at least he understood that Alfred was trying to help. Alfred flashed the man with the ponytail a huge grin. The man raised an eyebrow and said something about Arthur "being able to do better" before he stalked off.

Once he was out of sight, Alfred quickly removed his arm and sat down next to Arthur. He looked over him quickly and realized that Arthur didn't seem to be having a good time.

"Thanks," Arthur muttered into his glass. He didn't even look up at Alfred.

"No problem. What's with the long face?" Alfred asked.

Arthur finally glanced in Alfred direction. Then he did a double take before looking him full in the eyes. Alfred's breath caught in his throat. Arthur looked exactly like he remembered. He knew that he'd changed a lot over the years, but he hadn't expected to see Arthur ever again, much less that he'd be mostly unchanged by the time. It had only been five years though.

"Have we met?" Arthur's face was scrunched as he looked at Alfred. He was only looking at his eyes though, not bothering to take in the rest of Alfred. Suddenly, Alfred felt extremely self-conscious with his glasses on.

"I think I would remember if we had." Ok, not a direct lie, but certainly misleading. Alfred kicked himself internally. Arthur probably never got scared enough to lie.

Alfred took off his glasses and wiped the lenses as Arthur continued to stare at him. Once the glasses came off, Arthur tilted his head.

"Are you sure? You seem really familiar for some reason." Arthur said as Alfred put his glasses back on. Maybe he should have left them off.

"I'm not special, I'm just some person with a weird obsession for Captain America." Alfred smiled broadly. He could see the gears clicking into place behind Arthur's eyes.

"Good lord…you're that kid." Arthur gaped at Alfred. It was all Alfred could do to stay in his seat as he squirmed with excitement. He couldn't believe Arthur remembered him. Not to mention that there was the little fact that the man he had idolized was staring at him in awe. No one stared at Alfred in awe. Ever. Glasses or not.

"A bourbon and coke for this man and a water for myself!" Alfred told the bartender.

Arthur turned to the bartender, "Actually rum please," then he turned back to Alfred. "You're not going to drink anything?"

"Nah, I'm the designated driver tonight. It's my friend's birthday and we're all celebrating." Alfred said. He wasn't going to mention that in his country, it was still illegal for him to be drinking. Whether or not it was legal in Canada didn't matter much to Alfred. He was already used to not drinking, and besides, people liked him being the designated driver. At that, he glanced back over to Mattie who was still on the dancefloor with Michelle and Li. It appeared that the man from earlier with the ponytail was now accosting Matthew. Alfred took a hard look at Mattie's expression to make sure he didn't mind. The guy was probably nice enough, but if his friend didn't want the attention then Alfred had zero qualms with stepping in.

Matthew still seemed to be having a great time though.

"It's nice that you get to celebrate the bloody month of July." Arthur commented. He wasn't looking at Alfred anymore, but instead looking into his new glass of rum and coke.

"What's wrong with July?" Alfred asked.

Arthur looked around and even towards the door before answering Alfred question. "Just…not a pleasant month for me. Had a lot of old friend get mad at me for something last year."

Alfred frowned. That couldn't be right, who wouldn't want to be Arthur's friend?

"Well, how about you make some new friends tonight? Then maybe July won't be so bad. Hey, you can even come to my birthday in a few days. We'll be celebrating before I go back home for break.

"Oh why not." Arthur said. They got up from the bar and Alfred led him over to his small group of friends.

* * *

"I'm telling you man, he's not what you're making him out to be." Jett just wouldn't drop the subject and it was starting to get on Alfred's nerves.

"He told you to go to bed and you _obeyed_!" Matthew remarked, "You don't listen to _anyone_!" The fact that Matthew was almost shouting was starting to drill into Alfred head how serious his friends thought the situation was. Alfred rolled his eyes again.

Yeah, so Arthur was a little more over-protective than Alfred has imagined he would be. He was still a good guy right? He had already explained to his friends exactly who Arthur was to him.

"But we had been up later than we should have been guys." Alfred weakly protested.

"That's not the point. The point is you're bending over backwards for a guy you barely know." Li pipped in.

"He made you move furniture for him! You don't have to do that you know. Not for a guy you just met." Michelle offered.

"I know I don't have to, but it's easier for me to do than it is for him. Why shouldn't I help out? I'm paying back the favor." Alfred responded. He was trying to stay cool with his friend. They only wanted the best for him anyway.

"We don't like him is why. You may think he's a hero, but he's been nothing but rude to the rest of us. He accused me of being a criminal for Christ's sake!" Jett said. Alfred plopped his head against the wall behind him hard enough to ache a little. He kept his head pressed against the flat surface as he closed his eyes. It was really difficult to fight against all of his friends.

"Well someone else is going to have to call and un-invite him because I'm not doing it. You guys are being ridiculous."

At that, all of his friends shut up.

"I'll do it." Francis said. What on earth Matthew had seen in Francis, Alfred couldn't begin to understand. And yet here he was, in their circle of friends, plotting on outing someone from the group everyone except Alfred hated.

"Fine." Alfred said. He could feel the tears threatening his eyes. Instead of crying in front of his friends, Alfred put on the gruffest front he could and stomped out of the dorm room. He went into the stairwell and slid down the wall, praying that no one would come after him. After this incident, Alfred doubted if he would ever be able to speak to Arthur again. It's not like he'd get the chance to do so in person once he went back home. Arthur would have already left Canada by the time he got back.

"Happy Birthday to me," he said, half sing-song, and the tears started falling.

* * *

"You have a visitor, Mr. Kirkland." Arthur looked up at the nurse. It already felt like the world was mocking him for being an awful person. What on earth could Peter want this time? Still, he couldn't deny his little brother.

"Ok," Arthur said before he gazed out the window. He hated for Peter to see him like this, but the brat kept insisting on visiting. Arthur didn't mind as much as he let on though. Peter was the only brother that bothered to visit him.

"Hi," said a familiar voice. But it was not Peter's voice.

Arthur snapped his attention to the hospital room doorway.

Standing there, looking as sunny as ever was Alfred.

"What the….what the hell are you doing here?!" Arthur nearly shouted. His breathing sped up. After seven years, Alfred was the very last person Arthur expected to see visiting him in the hospital. They hadn't even spoken in that amount of time. Not since Arthur had been asked not to come to Alfred's birthday party.

That bit really hadn't surprised him at the time. Sure, it sucked worse than getting pushed down in front of a crowded group of people. Arthur had wanted to celebrate Alfred's birthday with him. But no one liked Arthur and he knew it. People thought he was pushy and stuck up, and there was probably some truth to it. Arthur had never found any other way he could be though. No matter what he tried to do, he always ended up being blunt or covering his hatred with awful sarcasm. They weren't exactly traits Arthur was proud of.

"I um…I never unfriended you on Facebook. And I check up on your status every once in a while. When I saw you had lung cancer…I um…well I couldn't exactly stay away now could I?" Alfred was blushing furiously at the ground. Arthur thought it was actually pretty cute. No matter how old he got, Alfred still acted like the child Arthur had met so long ago.

"Ah, I'm not worried about it. I'm actually pretty lucky. They caught it early so the statistics aren't as bad." Arthur tried to console Alfred. Lung cancer might be one of the more deadly ones, but if Arthur hadn't of had that chest x-ray for some upper back pain he had been having, they wouldn't have found it as early as they did. Besides, it was probably from smoking all of those cigarettes. Arthur had started after Alfred had left Canada, but he wasn't going to tell him that. Especially not now.

"So you'll be ok then?" Alfred asked. He looked at Arthur in earnest. Arthur couldn't remember the last time someone had looked at him that closely.

"Well, I've got a fighting chance." Arthur said. Unless Alfred asked directly, he wasn't going to give him numbers since they were still pretty abysmal.

Alfred walked over to Arthur's bed and sat down on the mattress.

"Is there anything I can do?" Alfred asked. Arthur really wished there was more Alfred could have done from the look he was giving him. Despite how Arthur was portraying himself, being in the hospital alone was terrifying.

"You can make him laugh." A male voice said through the doorway. A man that looked almost identical to Alfred leaned against the frame. Arthur couldn't quite remember his name since he had only known him for a few days. This guy didn't have the same history that he and Alfred had.

"Does that help? I'm not a medicine kinda guy." Before saying anything else, Alfred reached out and touched Arthur's head. His hand was like fire against Arthur's scalp and the contact, while not exactly unwanted, was surprising.

"Look, we're baldy bros," Alfred stated. Arthur shut his eyes tight and opened them again to look directly at Alfred.

"You try to cheer me up, and the first thing you say…" Arthur started snickering and tried to hold it back, "is we're baldy," the laugh started to turn into a cough, "bros." He managed to choke out before completely dissolving into a fit of coughs covering his mouth with his hand. Alfred quickly stood up.

"Hey! Are you ok?" He asked. Arthur waved him off.

"I'm fi…" He started to say, but then noticed the red on his hands.

"NURSE!" Alfred shouted, bolting out the door.

* * *

Alfred cradling the large bunch of roses he was carrying. The knot in his stomach had been there for days. Watching Arthur begin to cough up blood had taken its toll on him.

Arthur had said that July was a bad month for him.

The cab Alfred was taking wasn't going nearly fast enough. Instead of arguing with the driver, he pulled out his handheld gaming device. It was the one Arthur had left with him at the hospital when they first met. He had never let go of it.

He turned it on and began mindlessly playing the same game he had for ages. Beside him, the Captain America figurine rocked against his leg as the car turned a corner.

Rain pelted the window and Alfred focused on calming himself down. It was only pneumonia. Arthur wasn't dying. It was just a bug he had gotten from being in the hospital for so long.

The car rolled up to the front of the hospital and the knot in Alfred stomach clenched. He wasn't exactly ready for this.

Alfred thought about all of the things Arthur had been through: Donating bone marrow at the age of nineteen, being left by a new group of friends after being promised they'd stay around, battling lung cancer all by himself.

He could do this. Arthur may not think he was strong, but Alfred did. Alfred actually wasn't sure why Arthur thought so highly of him. He had done nothing half as amazing as the things Arthur had done. Hell, Alfred couldn't even always tell the truth when he was scared. Arthur always put up with the consequences of being blunt and rude easily. Alfred was too worried about making people like him to do that. Subsequently, when they found out, they usually didn't like him anymore. Matt still put up with him sometimes, and Jett was always down for an adventure. But Li and Michelle had gone their separate ways.

Alfred got out of the car and walked into the hospital and down the hall to Arthur's room. He stopped short though, remembering how Arthur had reacted to the guy in the bar. The memory quickly shattered Alfred confidence.

What if Arthur didn't date guys?

It took Alfred only a few seconds to decide that he didn't care and was going to ask anyway. He was tired of avoiding Arthur, especially since recent events had shown him how easy it was to lose someone.

Alfred walked into Arthur's room with the roses and figurine, and put on the best smile he could manage.

"What's this?" Arthur asked.

"I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out with me." Alfred said, before he let his brain start comprehending exactly what he was saying.

The silence that followed allowed that though. Alfred started screaming internally, begging that Arthur would agree. He couldn't stand the thought of losing him once again.

Alfred had to remind himself to control his emotions and not actually scream as he waited for Arthur to respond.

He didn't get a response though. Instead Arthur started crying.

"Oh shit, what did I do?" Alfred asked, setting the roses and toy down on a nearby counter and going to sit on Arthur's bed.

"Your hair…" Arthur choked out.

Alfred genuinely smiled. "Of course my hair. I told you we were baldy bros didn't I?"

Arthur started sobbing more loudly before eventually telling Alfred that's he'd go on a date with him.

* * *

That's it. I hope you enjoyed the read. There was only one part that was technically inaccurate. You'd never be allowed to meet your bone marrow donor before the donation, but I needed Alfred to be bald then so Arthur wouldn't recognize him later and I could add all the great hair stuff that I love so much. I'm claiming artistic license. You can meet your donor in some instances, but it's a year after the donation occurs and both parties have to consent.

Anyway if you're 18 you should consider signing up for the bone marrow registry (it's just a cheek swab)! Reviews are greatly appreciated. Also, may go back and edit more later since I waited until the last minute to write this, so if you see areas for improvement, let me know!


	8. I Bet My Life FrUk

It was probably a terrible idea to be out this deep in the woods all alone, but Arthur had needed to get away from his brothers. They were driving him crazy! Picking on him relentlessly and calling him such brutish names. Arthur was getting to the point where he felt like nothing he did pleased them. If nothing he did was good enough, then he'd just leave and they wouldn't have to deal with him at all! The thought of running away had crossed his mind, but he just couldn't bring himself to commit to that much. He'd settle for a few hours of quiet.

His horse came to an abrupt stop, pawing the ground in anticipation. The cool autumn air blew though Arthur's hair bringing the scent of drying leaves caked with fresh dirt to his nose. Leather from the reins pulled at his fingers as he tried to get Joan to stop fretting. He took a moment to look around the forest, but he couldn't see anything for the trees. The low light of the afternoon barely filtered through the leaves anymore, and the darkness of the forest was starting to encompass him and constricted his breathing.

"Easy, girl," He said with a hushed voice, "You smell something?"

Behind him, a branch snapped and Joan spun around to face the sharp noise at Arthur's command. He dropped the reins and nocked an arrow, prepared for nearly anything that could jump out at him this time of day.

Well, almost anything. Arthur remembered what started to show itself just before dusk. His heart began to race, alighting all of his sense with an intensity that Arthur was not used to. The world came to a complete standstill, and all he could hear was the breath of the wind moving through the cramped forest. He stopped breathing. Held his arrow still so the bow didn't creak. Arthur tried to minimize sounds by any means he could, moving as little as possible. Joan sensed his unease and also stood completely still without further command. Arthur mentally patted her neck, proud of the way she had learned to read his mood.

Another sharp crack brought his attention back to his arrow and the dark beyond where he had trained it. He strained his eyes in an attempt to see anything in the low light, squinting harder as each second passed.

There was a faint gleam in the shadows. A gleam that Arthur didn't trust. He took a deep breath in, trying to keep it as quiet as possible, squinting harder to try and make out what he was looking at all while continuing to listen for the slightest sound. Before he could decide what he was seeing, the gleam shifted. Arthur fired an arrow toward the movement, but it sailed through the trees and landed with a soft thump in the dirt beyond the shadows. He was sure he had aimed at the gleam, but it was no longer there.

He brought his arm behind him to fetch another arrow, this time going as slow as he could. Something was watching him. It was just a matter of figuring out what that something was. Until then, he feared startling it any more. He had only just grasped the feathered end of his next arrow when a gigantic green form leapt at his from the shadow beside where his gaze was focused.

Arthur felt himself being ripped off of Joan's back before he could bring the arrow to his bow. There was nothing to be done. The creature was too fast, too cunning. A sound of wings beating the air around him reached his ears as the end of a tail whipped in front of his vision.

Dragons.

Arthur struggled to regain some semblance of control as the beast carried him over the tree tops into the open sky. The dragon had a firm grip on Arthur's shoulders, but its talons had not pierced his skin by some miracle. He thanked his lucky stars. It took everything he had to think straight as the dragon carried him higher in the sky. The ground streamed past him in a haze, and his head spun as the trees bent and wavered beneath him. Arthur could maneuver a bit, although his range of motion was limited. Nocking an arrow proved to be too difficult, so he tried a different method. Arthur kicked a leg up towards his hand and reached for the dagger he kept strapped to his boot.

He strained at the effort, grunting as he tried to hold his leg up long enough to grab the weapon. The wind whipped at his back, blowing his cloak around and making it difficult to reach. Finally, Arthur unbuttoned the cover and loosed the knife from its holster. Once he had the dagger in hand, the next step was trying to figure out where he could stab the blasted creature. The only place he could reach were the dragon's feet which were currently holding him aloft. Before stabbing its foot though, Arthur glanced down to see how far up they had gotten. A wave of nausea punched him in the stomach. They were too high up. He'd never make the landing.

Arthur cursed and forced himself to reconsider. Maybe if he just stabbed one foot, the dragon wouldn't drop him completely. It was his best chance. Although he seriously doubted it would do anything more than anger the creature.

But, Arthur was angry too.

Without further thought as to what may befall him, Arthur jabbed his dagger into the dragon's foot. A great roar echoed off the surrounding mountains and turned into half a shriek of pain. The sounds was oddly satisfying as it reverberated in Arthur's skull. His right side was bathed in hot blood as Arthur slashed the dragon's foot further. The dragon released one of Arthur's shoulders and started to descend towards the ground.

Well that went a lot better than expected. Arthur was half certain he was going to be dropped or smashed to the ground in frustration.

The ground grew larger, the blades of grass becoming more discernible as the dragon flew Arthur to the ground. Right before landing, it occurred to Arthur how strange it was that he wasn't already dead. Sure, dragons kidnapped people on occasion, but they killed a lot more people than they kidnapped. Arthur figured he was a prime target for being murdered at this point. If someone had stabbed his hand, well, a civilized man would have challenged him to a duel. It was doubtful that dragons had any sort of such civil code. But then again, Arthur really didn't know much about dragons other than to avoid them.

They landed safely on the ground, and the dragon set Arthur down as if he didn't want to hurt him. Was he really being kidnapped? Why didn't the creature just kill him and be done with it? So many thoughts and questions sprang to the front of Arthur's mind.

Even more questions formed when the dragon landed and began talking to him.

"You stabbed me! Why would you stab me you fils de salope?"

"What do you mean, 'why would I stab you,' you were kidnapping me! And you keep a civil tongue about my mother!" Who the hell did this dragon think it was?

"Look, I just need to kidnap someone so my father will be happy. I don't want to hurt you, I'll bring you back whenever you want. Could you please just help me out?" The dragon's voice quivered as it spoke. Despite himself, Arthur felt a tug at his chest.

Was he really having this conversation with a dragon?

"You're kidding, right?"

The dragon curled up and began licking its wound. Instead of answering the question, the creature made a low noise that almost sounded like a sob as it tended to the injury Arthur created. The sound was sort of pathetic whatever it was.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? No, wait. Why the hell am I apologizing to something that just ripped me off my bloody horse and carried me off!? If you wanted help, you should have asked!"

The dragon set its foot on the ground and glowered at Arthur.

"You think that would have made my father happy?! We're supposed to be feared! How am I going to impress him when I can't even kidnap a small boy?" The dragon made a noise that sounded like a strangled growl, somewhere between frustration and distress. Its eyes were still alight with anger though. Arthur was almost sympathetic for half a second before he realized what the dragon had said.

"I am not a boy! I am a man! I'm going to be the king one day too!" Arthur glared right back at the dragon. They stood there, staring each other down, neither one wanting to back down. The hairs on the back of Arthur's neck stood on end when the dragon didn't back down.

"So, I stole the king's beloved son from him. Maybe my father will be proud of me."

Arthur snorted, "I wouldn't say 'beloved' son. But what makes you think I'll just let you continue kidnapping me? I'm going home!" For emphasis, Arthur turned on his heel as he spoke and started a brisk march back towards where he hoped Joan…wouldn't have gone back to the castle like the good mare that she was.

"Uugggghhhhhh. Great, bloody fucking great." Arthur broke his dramatic exit from the dragon's presence to throw his head back in frustration. How could he have forgotten? All of the horses were trained to return to the castle if they were separated from their rider. It had proven useful in the past when others had been kidnapped or went missing. Then people knew to look for them. If the horse had survived that was.

Not that his family would care at all. If his brothers found out he had been kidnapped…the princess jokes that were sure to ensue were already pissing Arthur off. Hell, his own father probably wished he was dead anyway. Then his brother, Allistor, could be king instead of scrawny, little, hopeless…Arthur looked at the dragon's long talons and pointed, gleaming teeth. It could probably breathe fire too. He thought for a moment, wondering why the dragon had not chased after him. Arthur met the dragon's gaze, noticing that it appeared more curious than anything with its head cocked to the side.

"You know what? Yeah. I'll agree to let you kidnap me. If you agree to take a chunk out of Allistor's gigantic fucking ego."

"Who's Allistor?"

"My jerkwad of a brother. You don't have to seriously injure him or anything. Just give him an ugly scar, somewhere embarrassing if you can."

The dragon considered for a moment, tapping its claw on the ground while it thought. Arthur waited patiently. At least on the outside. Inside, anxiety gnawed at his throat and made his jaw ache as he clenched his teeth. This dragon was probably his best hope at saving any face, but he still didn't trust it.

"Sure, I can do that. Can you play the part of the intimidated prince for me though? I just need to convince my father. I'm sure he's been keeping an eye on me."

"As long as word of this doesn't get to my brother or father, I'll do anything. I'll even dress like a princess if you want me to." If Allistor got a nasty scar, Arthur hoped it would take some of the ridicule off of him. Arthur would do anything to knock Allistor down a peg. He just didn't want his brothers to see him wearing the incriminating attire.

"Nah, my father knows I wouldn't kidnap a princess." The dragon said, but Arthur did not recognize the expression on its face. Something about it though made Arthur feel uncomfortable. He almost wanted to ask why.

"Alright then, we have an agreement. Now kidnap me."

Their pact had been made. Arthur played the part of the distressed victim for a few hours, and the dragon gave Allistor a large gash on the side of his face when they came looking for Arthur. By the time Arthur was safe in his own bed, he realized how ridiculous the whole scenario had been. What a stupid notion that a dragon would go around and fake kidnapping people to impress their overly strict parent. And yet, he couldn't help but think that the world was full of strange coincidences. It was odd really. How Arthur felt like he had more in common with the dragon who had 'failed' to kidnap him than his own family.

Arthur's chest heaved, tears stung his eyes as he tried to keep them open as the wind snapped at his face. He had no idea where he was going, he just knew he needed to get as far away from the castle as possible. Fucking "Allistor the Great" was driving him insane, blabbering on and on to all the women in the square about his stupid battle scar. At first, the gash had worked like a charm, pissing Allistor off to no end. But now, it was making him more likeable and more popular. And it could now be ignored enough to tease Arthur again.

Joan finally stopped, refusing to listen to Arthur's kicks anymore.

"Go on, you stupid mare." He sobbed through the words, kicking at Joan's sides with half-hearted effort. Instead, she turned around and nibbled at his boot.

"You're not being helpful." It was useless though. Joan wouldn't budge, and Arthur was forced to dismount and take a break. They were far enough away he reasoned. He looked around, spying a small lake in the distance.

Oh.

"Good girl, Joan," he whispered. All of his senses went on alert. Arthur had not meant to come this close to dragon territory. He turned to start walking back towards the castle. They had definitely gone far enough to get away from his family. A little too far for comfort though.

They had only gone a few steps when Arthur looked back towards the lake. The trees standing between him and the lake swayed in the slight breeze and a few leaves swirled around the glittering water, framed by the woods. Just beyond the lake was that dragon's cave, the one that had kidnapped him. But it also meant other dragons lived in the area, most of which were not as kind. And yet…

"Go on home, girl." Arthur said as he slapped Joan's rear and sent her away. The air seemed to still in the immediate vicinity surrounding him, but he could see the trees were still affected by the drifting air. It felt strange, realizing what he was doing, walking towards the lake instead of away from it. Stopping didn't seem to be an option though. He tried, but all he could manage was slowing his steps a little. The lake drew him in, slowly, painfully. Whether he wanted to die or whether he wanted to see his dragon friend again, Arthur wasn't quite sure.

It was strange that he thought of the dragon as a friend.

By the time he made it to the shore and sat down, Arthur decided it didn't matter. It was too much to expect the same dragon to show up, but it was also too much to expect another dragon to find him and kill him. But maybe. At least he wasn't around his brother, or his father, or the civilians, or anyone. No one could make fun of him out here.

How long he sat by the lake, Arthur did not know. He had quickly lost himself watching the light bounce off of the water, listening to the trickle of a nearby stream that fed into the lake. Eventually, he allowed himself to relax and laid back against a cool rock.

The sky blurred through his half lidded eyes as he almost fell asleep. Being angry and crying had left him exhausted, and it was so calm in this place. So peaceful despite being as near to the dragons as he was. He lay there, not bothering to fight his listlessness, and Arthur couldn't tell if he was conscious or not as the colors appeared in the sky in front of his vision.

Maybe he was dreaming. It almost looked like a rose was falling from the sky, circling above Arthur and swaying with the breeze. The red swirled around the green, drawing loops in the air above him. That was an oddly shaped flower though.

Arthur sat up too quickly and the blood to rushed out of his head. He was forced to tear his eyes away to steady himself. But oh God did he want to look. Finally, his head stopped spinning and he could look up again.

"It's you!" He almost shouted as the last waves of dizziness cleared his head. Relief flooded every inch of Arthur's body and a warm glow spread across his chest. It had been a long time since he had felt this…relaxed. But, that was exactly what it felt like. Every care he had drifted away and the thought of being killed by a different dragon left his mind entirely.

This was replaced with the fear that this dragon would think Arthur liked him. At all.

"Oh…I mean…what do you want? Need another poor prince to act as your victim?" He tried to sound as bitter as possible. It wasn't difficult considering how easy it was to remember why he was near dragon territory to begin with. Not to mention it was partially the dragon's fault. It should have burned Allistor instead of giving him a clean cut.

He immediately regretted being so mean when the dragon landed and he saw a fresh patch of burnt skin on its shoulder. It had even gone through the scales. Apparently Arthur wasn't the only one having a rough day.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt."

"Sorry…" Arthur couldn't think of anything to say.

"What happened to you?" The dragon asked.

"You know…brothers." Arthur didn't want the attention on himself. Not when his scars weren't as visible. It was easy to forget that the dragon had problems too. Especially when his own were so vivid and clear in his mind still. "What about you?"

"Not kidnapping and terrorizing innocent people enough. I never am."

"You are welcome to kidnap me again if you want," he said as he stared at the small rocks between his shoes. It's not like Arthur had a ride back home or anything anyway.

"Maybe…maybe a little later. How about we go do something that doesn't involve either of our families." The dragon said as it leaned most of its weight on one leg. The one that wasn't burned.

"Please."

Arthur climbed on its back, the scales providing enough of a grip pull himself up. It took a moment to find a comfortable position. He shifted from side to side, moving around until he found a soft patch that he could sink into. The dragon beat its wings once and Arthur gasped, gripping onto the spikes on its back for support. This wasn't like before when he had flown with the dragon. This time, Arthur was in control of his own position in the air. Which also meant he could fall off easier.

The dragon turned its head to peek at Arthur on its back. It must have realized how nerve racking it was for Arthur because the wing beats evened out and the two began to glide through the air instead. A few minutes later, Arthur grew accustomed to the way the dragon moved beneath him as they snaked through the air together.

The dragon flew them all the way around the kingdom, skirting the edge of the small villages so people wouldn't see them. Arthur's face was whipped by the wind and the smell of pine trees washed over his as they drifted over a different part of the forest. The open sky felt so inviting, clear of any clouds and free of all arguments and slighting remarks. Arthur felt like he could stay up there forever, away from everything that plagued his life. But the ride didn't take as long as he wanted it to.

Their landing spot was almost as good though. There were no signs of people or dragons. No brick walls or damp caves built into the mountains. Nothing except the tall blades of grass spotted with a few purple clovers and yellow daisies.

They landed and Arthur dismounted without a word. The two didn't speak for a long while. There wasn't much to say. Nothing that could cure the pain of their respective emotional wounds. The silence and calmness of their surroundings brought the events that led him to laying in the empty field with a massive dragon to the surface of his thoughts. It was strange how the dragon has so easily lured him away from everyone. But then, it wasn't really the dragon that had pushed Arthur away.

Arthur's chest began to ache. Unwanted memories surfaced of his brothers tormenting him and calling him a…words he didn't even want to repeat silently in his head.

He looked around to find something to distract himself, eyes landing on the dragon's injury again.

"Hey, um…" Maybe he shouldn't, "Nevermind."

"What?" The dragon asked. Arthur wished he had kept his big mouth shut.

"Nothing."

There was silence for a long time, but now it was awkward. Arthur squirmed as he silently wished the dragon wouldn't pursue the topic. The silence was broken by the dragon.

"If you tell me, I'll tell you a secret about dragons."

"What? No, I can't tell you this. I'm sorry. Ignore me." The dragon snorted a puff of smoke into the air.

"How about I go first, and then you can decide if you want to share?" Arthur almost laughed, he leaned back against the dragon's side where he had been resting. There was no way the dragon could have a secret that would be worthy of hearing his.

"Fine, _if_ it's a good enough secret."

Arthur fell over as the dragon disappeared from behind him.

"Hey!" He managed to shout before the support left him completely and he dropped heavily to the ground. Arthur rolled over to yell at the dragon, but it wasn't there anymore.

Instead, there was a very handsome and very naked man…standing a just few steps from him.

Before Arthur stopped to think, he had nocked an arrow and trained it on the man's chest. There wasn't even time to stand up. His heart beat against his ribcage and Arthur focused on keeping the bow steady despite his heavy breathing. The shock of finding a naked man standing behind him where his dragon friend had been previously left his nerves on fire. The stranger didn't say anything as he raised his hands in a defensive position, his eyes wide with fear.

After a moment of facing off, the stranger dropped one arm as he winced. The motion allowed Arthur to see the patch of burnt flesh on his shoulder. It wasn't some stranger that had snuck up on both of them. He released his breath.

"Y…Drag…wha…." His brain raced, trying to catch up to the events that were unfolding in front of him. Yes, definitely in front on him.

"You can turn into a human?" Arthur asked.

The man gave him a weak laugh before replying, "Yes, but please, I'm much less resilient in this form. I'd appreciate it if you lowered your weapon."

Arthur tore his eyes from the man's bare chest to look at his bow. He scrambled to throw the bow to the ground and it clattered when it landed. Now that the bow was away, the man dropped his hands and began approaching Arthur.

He stumbled backwards, wide eyed and chest heaving as the man approached him. It wasn't that he didn't trust the humanoid dragon, but he was still not prepared to deal with its new form. Especially considering _it wasn't wearing clothes._ His retreat was halted when his hand hit a sharp rock and he fell to the ground. The man stood over Arthur, bending down so that their faces were almost touching to smirk at him. A wave of musk wafted off the man causing Arthur to stop breathing as soon as he inhaled it.

"Is this a good enough of a secret to hear yours?"

"Um…a….yes…could you...I don't mean to be rude, but could you put some clothes on?" The man didn't even break to look at his naked self, instead he continued to hold Arthur's stare.

"Fine, but you have to tell me." The man that had previously been a dragon borrowed Arthur's cloak and sat down cross legged beside him. As he was donning the cloak, Arthur took a moment to compose himself. He stared hard at the ground between them.

Now that it was Arthur's turn, he began to feel queasy. What if his new friend would hate him as much as his family did? He didn't want to lose his new friend too. Arthur finally glanced up to see the man staring at him with his chin in hands, elbows resting on his knees. There was no way he could get out of this either.

It was easier to avoid speaking altogether and show the dragon-man instead of explaining. The same way the dragon had done for him. Arthur placed both of his hands on the man's burned shoulder. It was difficult to focus the way he needed to because the man began asking Arthur what he was doing. But Arthur blocked it out. He blocked out the man's lilting voice, ignored the way his golden locks brushed against his hands, and thought of nothing except the wound.

He could feel the man jerk under his grasp as the area began to glow, but he refused to be stopped. Arthur gazed at the light, and forced energy to flow directly over the patch of skin. It didn't take long for the area to fade from black to gray to pink again.

Arthur blinked when it was done, and the realization hit him of what had just happened. What he had just revealed. With his hands still hovering over the area where the scar had been, Arthur kept his head lowered as he raised his eyes to see the man's reaction.

"You can do magic!" The man said in a whisper, as if it were still a secret.

He really shouldn't have shared that. Arthur didn't respond as he folded his knees against his chest, tucking his head under his arms. Cold crept into his limbs as he thought about how alone he was because of his stupid, evil, unforgiveable…unchangeable self. The tears from earlier began falling on his cheeks again, but he refused to make a sound.

Maybe the dragon knew about the prejudice magician faced in the kingdom because Arthur felt his cloak wrapped around his back. The cold air was shut out by the cloth, warm from where it had been worn by the dragon-man. It occurred to Arthur that if he was wearing the cloak…

"I SAID PUT SOME BLOODY CLOTHES ON!" He shouted, exposing his tear stained face to glare at the man.

"It feels funny and I don't want to!" The man said. Before Arthur could complain any further, he turned back into a dragon. "Besides, dragons don't wear clothes." Arthur squinted at him, the image of the naked man burned into his retina. Being angry at something distracted him from crying, but it didn't last long. The fact that Arthur had shown the dragon his magic came to the front of his mind again and fresh tears clouded his vision. He wanted to be alone. Wanted to run away or disappear from the world. But Arthur wanted that a lot. No matter how hard he tried, he was always forced to return home. Not enough food, loneliness, cold weather, there was always something. Every time he returned he looked that much weaker as well.

"It's ok you know. I don't think wizards are evil." The dragon said.

Arthur scoffed. Everyone thought wizards were evil. Hell, even Arthur was starting to believe it. But he couldn't stop himself from wondering if perhaps the dragons wasn't lying.

"Why do you say that?"

"I think we're told a lot of things that others want us to believe. There are not always a good justifications for what we're told though. Look at me! I'm not awful to humans like most dragons."

Arthur wanted to question it, but he was tired of thinking. Part of him believed what the dragon was saying, but it didn't add up.

"That's questionable at best. You still kidnapped me." And yet here Arthur was, sitting in a large field with the dragon. He had to admit it felt better than being home. "Why aren't you awful to humans?"

The dragon began to explain. He explained what they were taught as fledglings and the sort of life they were expected to lead. The young were taught that humans were beneath dragons, and that the humans were constantly trying to take over their domain. They were also never supposed to turn into their human forms as it was a sign of inferiority. The dragon had believed all of it. There was no reason not to at first.

But one day, he was captured by the humans. They had built cages made of metal, something the dragons had not seen before, and he had been young. Some of the dragons that were caught managed to break the bars, but he had been too small. The dragons that escaped left him at the mercy of the humans who would surely kill him.

He explained how he was sure he was going to die, alone and a coward to his kind. Until a girl saved him.

The dragon talked about how he became obsessed with the girl, going to see her when his father wasn't watching. Arthur listened quietly, glad for the distraction and yet not ready to speak himself. It was calming, listening to the dragon talk about the things they did together, the adventures they went on. The clover in the field leaned in the breeze, bringing a sweet smell with it. He could have sat there forever listening to the dragon talk about the girl.

"It didn't last though." The dragon said, and then he went quiet. Arthur was afraid of what was coming next, but he had to know.

"What happened?"

"My father found out. Burned her right in front of me. I never forgave him for that…he never forgave me either."

Arthur swallowed a dry lump in his throat. That could be him next if they weren't careful.

"Wouldn't it be easier to believe the things they told you though? Or maybe fake it?"

The dragon snorted out a puff of smoke, "Easier. I tried. I tried to fake it for a while too. And I apologized, and did everything I could to make it up to him. But he tried to make her out as a monster saying she was trying to deceive me. Then I realized it wasn't her that was spinning lies. It was them. The ones who left me to die in the metal cages."

Arthur cringed. He couldn't help but feel the same way. After all the stories his own brother and father had told him about the evil of wizards. Arthur didn't think he was evil. They may have had stories, but Arthur didn't want to act like the people in the stories. He could use the magic to heal people, or protect them. Just because he was born with the ability to manipulate the energy around him didn't mean he was inherently bad.

And yet here he was, helping their enemy. What should have been an enemy, at least.

"Is that why you won't kidnap princesses?"

"Yeah."

There wasn't anything else Arthur could say. It was hard to imagine losing something that he loved that much though. Arthur never felt like he loved anything that didn't make him feel guilty, so he always did his best to distance himself from those things.

"I'm really sorry."

They spend the afternoon together, soaking up the sun, speaking of unimportant matters. The dragon talked more about the girl, Jeanne. Arthur talked about some of his favorite spells. There was a small argument about the dragon's hair when he was in his human form, but in the end the dragon flatly refused to get it cut.

"We spent all this time together and I still don't know your name, or if you even have a name."

"I'm Francis."

"Leave me alone!" Arthur said as he turned to storm off down the hall.

"What's wrong, _princess_? Missing being a little damsel in distress?" Allistor shouted as he ran to catch up to Arthur. Arthur rolled his eyes but kept up the brisk pace, mind set on escaping the castle. He didn't get very far before a weight rested on his shoulder and stopped his forward motion with a jolt.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" Allistor's voice was low, but Arthur refused to be intimidated by it. He spun on his heel and lowered his own voice to an equal octave.

"Maybe, I'd rather a dragon eat me than deal with your bullshit. Ever think of that?" Although he said the words with such venom a viper would be jealous, Arthur knew it wasn't true. It had been a long time since he believed a dragon would eat him.

Allistor's face went slack and his mouth gaped in surprise. The reaction was perfect, and Arthur tried to save a mental picture. His brothers never understood how bad they made Arthur feel sometimes. It had been easier in the past to simply run away and find Francis, but he'd been doing it too often lately. His disappearances had spurred the teasing to dangerous levels and it was high time he fought back.

One thing was true though. Arthur would rather spend his time with one of the most hated species in the world than with his own family.

The two stood and stared daggers at each other for a long moment. As soon as Allistor broke the eye contact for a fraction of a second, Arthur turned around and marched straight out the door.

That was when he heard the roaring.

Arthur's head snapped in the direction of the sound and was met with a grey stone wall. It took a moment to find a nearby window and Arthur ran to look out of it. While he knew what had caused the first roar, he didn't recognize who it belonged to. It still made him nervous that the sound was so close to the kingdom.

His stomach dropped to his feet when he heard the second roar.

He gave himself a moment to glance out the window, even though he didn't need the confirmation now. The second roar, Arthur did recognize.

High above the skyline a red rose with bright green leaves was being plucked out of the air by a much larger, brown, angry dragon. Arthur tried to gather his courage, managing to return his stomach to its proper place in his torso from where it had dropped. But it was ice cold and chilled his gut.

Allistor might have been shouting at Arthur, but it didn't matter. Arthur was already halfway down the hall before he heard anything other than the roars echoing through his bones. He ran as hard as he could, and it wasn't hard enough. Through the castle, down the stairwell, and out the front entrance he ran. He didn't have a plan, but he tried to think of something as he tore through the courtyard to the outside gate. His chest ached for oxygen and his legs burned with exertion, but Arthur kept running.

The thoughts drained from his head as another ear splitting roar shook the ground under his feet. He didn't have time to think. The two dragons were spiraling towards him at break neck speed, hurtling through the air with nothing but desperation keeping them in the air.

Arthur looked back towards the gates of the place he had once called home. There would be no going back after this. He knew it.

"FRANCIS!" He shouted as loud as he could, making his chest seize at the effort.

It appeared Francis had heard him as the green dragon broke free and plummeted toward the spot where Arthur was standing. Arthur watched closely. He'd probably only have one chance at this, and he needed to focus. It was fortunate that Francis was so small compared to the other dragon who was having a difficult changing direction so quickly. The lost momentum would give Arthur the time he needed to separate the two. The air stung his nose as he inhaled, raising his hands above his head.

Francis landed heavily beside him and Arthur did not wait as the dirt was knocked into his face. A shimmering wall of gold exploded above him, surrounding Francis in him in a protective circle. Arthur braced himself as a plume of fire rained down on them to be blocked by the shield.

He smirked to himself before he chanced a glance at Francis who was covered in scrapes and burn marks. There were more than a few places that were trickling with streams of blood too and large patches of missing scales. The sight made his stomach clench.

A loud thump brought Arthur's attention back to the brown dragon who was now clawing at his shield. Arthur cursed to himself and redoubled his efforts. He couldn't afford any distractions.

"What the FUCK do you think you're doing?"

Shit.

I COULD ASK YOU THE SAME THING! Arthur wanted to shout back at Allistor. He hadn't expected him to catch up so quickly, much less be stuck in the force field with them.

" _Are you helping this…monster?! WITH MAGIC?!_ " Allistor spat at Francis. Arthur could see the gold shield wavering as the words pierced through his sternum straight into his heart. The brown dragon saw it too, the tiny cracks that were forming over the barrier. Arthur stopped breathing, stopped thinking altogether as the brown dragon bathed their circle in red flames that licked at the holes of the ceiling.

Then Arthur felt Francis' presence at his back. The warmth from his massive body washed over Arthur as Francis bellowed at Allistor. His bones rattled at the sound, jarring his thoughts and bringing Arthur's focus back to his task. There would be time for thinking about it later when they weren't about to die at the hands of a murderous, power-crazy beast.

He could hear Allistor's shriek as his brother stumbled away from them. Arthur couldn't see the events unfolding, but it was enough to hear it. Enough to know that Francis had his back. It wasn't going to put an end to their predicament though.

"Francis!" Arthur shouted amidst the dragon trying to break down his barrier and his brother nearly thwarting his efforts.

"We're going to need a plan," Arthur managed to get out as he concentrated on the gold barrier. Sweat beaded on his brow as he tried to keep the flow of magic steady. At this pace, it wouldn't be long before he ran out of energy altogether. They were going to have to end this fight, and soon.

"We could run," Francis offered. It was tempting but Arthur knew they wouldn't get very far. They needed a more permanent plan.

"Can you turn your arrows into ice?" Francis asked when Arthur didn't reply. Arthur nodded in response. It wasn't like he could fire the arrow and keep the barrier up at the same time though. Francis appeared to have a plan as he turned into his human form next to Arthur. It was impossible to imagine what he was planning to do while he was in a much more vulnerable form beyond just being naked.

Arthur barely contained his laughter as he heard his brother's high pitched screaming from behind him. If only he could see Allistor's face. His stomach ached from trying to avoid doubling over from laughter.

The barrier flickered and dropped as his concentration broke and Arthur was forced to redouble his efforts to put it back in place. They were very fortunate that their aggressor was not faster. Another wave of fire washed over the new shield and he dragon growled in frustration behind it. It hadn't taken half a second to put a new barrier up, but the energy required left Arthur feeling sleepy and his arms heavy. Francis was taking too long to nock an arrow. Arthur chanced a glance, careful not to lower his guard on the barrier this time. His breath caught at the sight of Francis whose own limbs were covered in burn marks. Arthur watched him wince as he lifted the bow and arrow above his head. He wondered for a moment if Francis knew how to fire it, but there wasn't any time for that. Arthur was forced to bet their lives on Francis.

"On my count," Francis said, and Arthur returned his eyes to the shield and began to prepare for the switch from the shield to the arrow. He hoped more than anything Francis knew what he was talking about. That turning the arrow into ice would somehow work.

Francis counted down from three, each second draining more energy from Arthur. Hurry up, count faster. He managed to hold out until the end. Arthur lowered the shield on the count of one and turned to look at the arrow poised in Francis' grip. It took next to no time at all and the arrow turned crystal clear in Francis' hand before being released into the sky. Arthur let out his breath and felt the energy drain out of him. If this wasn't enough…

Without thinking, Arthur added another spell to the arrow before it had a chance to reach its target. It on a straight path towards to dragon's chest when it grew in size and burst into a bright, blue color that shimmered against the dark scales of the dragon. The sight was so…peaceful.

Then everything went black.

It felt like he was floating and sinking at the same time. He couldn't feel anything that could have been keeping him up, and yet Arthur felt like he was being smothered into the ground. The world was dark around him and he figured he must be dead.

So this was what death felt like. Arthur took a moment to savor the feeling, not knowing how long it would last. Would death be like this forever? Or would it go away as fast as it had come?

There was a shuffling sound next to him and it took a long while for Arthur to register what he was hearing. It sounded almost like a person. But he couldn't see anyone.

Right, Arthur remembered he had to open his eyes to see.

He blinked a few times as the light broke into his vision. The dotted green and yellow above him made Arthur think he was probably in a forest. Maybe he wasn't dead after all.

The shuffling continued and Arthur tried to turn his head towards the noise. He was greeted by a bare ass that was sitting at eye level and close enough to touch.

"Fucking…" Arthur trailed off, too weak to say anything else despite the spark of anger he felt in his chest. He closed his eyes, determined to pretend he _was_ dead now, but the other person had already heard him.

"Ah! Arthur you're awake!" Francis said, with a little too much joy for Arthur's taste.

"No. No, I'm really not."

"Hush, now. Stop being ridiculous. You need to eat."

Arthur wanted nothing more than to disagree, but his stomach protested vehemently as a savory scent reached his nose.

"Fine."

It took most of his effort to sit up, but Arthur rejected the help his nude friend offered. The thought of having to be helped by someone who refused to wear clothes was repulsive. Arthur took the bowl of soup after he managed to sit up straight.

He took a small bites of the most delicious soup he had ever tasted in his life. Bits of rabbit swirled in the thick broth and it warmed every inch of Arthur as it trickled down his throat into his stomach. A few mouthfuls was all he could manage before lifting the spoon again seemed too difficult, but he was still hungry. Arthur laid against the tree as he stared at the bowl that mocked him from its place in his lap.

Francis took the bowl from his hands and raised the spoon to his mouth for him. Arthur wanted to protest. He didn't need help to feed himself.

Well, he didn't want to need help…his stomach growled and pain rippled across his belly.

A smile spread across Francis' face as Arthur accepted a bite of food. He wanted to be angry, but Arthur noticed something that distracted him from that thought.

"What happened to your injuries?" Arthur paused for a moment before he added, "Actually, what happened? At all…"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure when you passed out. But the arrow worked! A little too well actually. Shot a hole right through my father…" Francis' face twitched in pain. He probably should have looked a little sadder than he did, but Arthur didn't care. They did what had to be done. It didn't take long for Francis to continue as if nothing had happened.

"After that, your, what I presume was your brother, got up and started shouting about witchcraft and how you were a disgrace to the family. I didn't hear a whole lot of it. The villagers started gathering and I decided to leave and take you with me. It was a bit of a shock for everyone when I turned back into a dragon. Even your loud-mouthed brother shut up. I hope you don't mind though. I was afraid to leave you there with…well…them. I…um…well I suppose we can't exactly go back."

The words hurt, but it was probably the best thing Francis could have done in that situation. Especially considering Arthur wasn't even conscious to fend for himself at the time. He might have never gotten a chance to wake up before they burned him at the stake.

"It's fine." Arthur wrapped the blanket that was around his shoulder tighter. Despite the fire nearby, he felt a chill creep into his bones. Francis was right. There would be no going back now. He tried to smile a little, to let Francis know he really meant that things were fine. But they both knew what was at stake.

Francis continued, "After that I flew as far as I could manage. I wanted to get further than I did, but my wings were having trouble supporting both of us. When I finally stopped to try and get some rest, there was someone standing in the clearing. I was about to keep flying, but the person yelled for me to come down. Said that he wanted to help. I wasn't about to argue.

"So I landed, and get this, this guy knows magic too! He healed all of my wounds and helped me set up camp. There wasn't much he could do for you though. He said you had used too much energy and just needed to sleep it off and have a good meal when you woke up."

"Where are we?" Arthur asked. Francis' smile was replaced by him opening his mouth and closing it while looking past Arthur. So Francis had no idea where they were.

"You're in the Forfrysning Forest," an unfamiliar voice answered Arthur. He looked around for the source of the voice and found a blonde man with ice blue eyes watching him, his hair held up by a cross shaped hair piece.

"Ah, Arthur. This is Lukas. He's the magician I was telling you about."

Arthur didn't know whether he should be pleased or not. Meeting another magician had sounded promising, but now it was questionable. The man seemed listless and annoyed at the same time.

"Umm. Hello," Arthur said in an attempt to be friendly. The man just stared and it began to make Arthur feel uncomfortable.

"You have a dragon too?" Arthur wasn't the only one confused by the words. It appeared Francis was as well given that he whipped around and nearly spilled the soup that he was still holding.

"Too?" Francis repeated.

The sound of beating wings broke the silence as another dragon approached their camp site and landed in a nearby clearing. This new dragon was red with black under its wing. The bright scales glinted in the low light of the forest. Arthur and Francis looked at each other, both wide eyed with their mouths gaping open.

 _There were more of them._


End file.
